UNCLE SAM	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Will Eisner (Quality Comics/DC version)

PERSONAL DATA

Aliases: Samuel Augustus Adams; Minute-Man (Taylor Samuel Hawke); Brother Jonathan; Billy Yank; Johnny Reb
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, PA
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: 310 million nephews and nieces
Base of Operation: America
Group Affiliation(s): Freedom Fighters
Gender: Male
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: White
First Appearance: National Comics #1 (July 1940) [Quality]
Creators: Will Eisner (Quality Comics/DC version)

OVERVIEW

The living embodiment of the spirit of America, who first made himself known during the late seventeenth century. Never-aging, he led a group called the Freedom Fighters during World War II, defending his land against the possible tyranny of totalitarianism, lending them some of his longevity. In recent years, Uncle Sam and other embodiments of the American spirit merged to become the Patriot, but the terrible events of the past few months re-awoke the traditional spirit and Uncle Sam walks the nation once more.

HISTORY

Following the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson along with representatives from the rest of the thirteen States gathered below the chamber where the declaration was signed along with rational alchemist Taylor Samuel Hawke to create a spiritual, mythic embodyment of the new nation.

Combining tokens from each state and empowered by the power of the delegates united belief in the nation, the Spirit of America was born. After coming to life above their heads the spirit was transmuted into a powerful talisman. Taylor Hawke was entrusted with the talisman's safekeeping and its true power would emerge when Hawke was mortally wounded by Hessians while on his way to deliver supplies to General George Washington at Valley Forge. At the time of his death the spirit appeared and explained to him that it could not walk the walking world unless it was in the company of a human soul. As Hawke sacrified himself and bonded with the Spirit of America the Minuteman was born. Minuteman disappeared again after the victory at Yorktown in 1779.

The Spirit of America would reappear several times throughout the years. In the early 19th century he would be reborn as Brother Jonathan and was present at the Battle of Lake Erie and the Battle of New Orleans. When the American Civil War began the talisman was broken in two and would empower two brothers of the same family, but opposing each other in the war. They would be known as Billy Yank and Johnny Reb.

Sometime after the war political cartoonist Samuel Augustus Adams had been given the two parts of the talisman by his niece who had gotten them from her uncles that had fought in the war. During Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed's political rule in New York City around 1870, Adams had been vigorously attacking them in his cartoons to a point where Tweed wanted to teach him a lesson. When Adams was attacked and shot by a couple of Tweed's hoods, the Spirit of America appeared before him and the entity known as Uncle Sam was formed for the first time.

Uncle Sam would form again during the Great War and then again in World War II when he would band together with the Freedom Fighters to fight Nazi Germany. During the war Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters would fight many battles and were also present when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

As Uncle Sam is only as strong as America's sense of self, he became fragmented as did the country itself during the post-War years. Uncle Sam would return around the time of the Crisis, and has been seen off and on since then. Recently he reformed the Freedom Fighters to oppose Father Time and Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard who had taken the identity of Senator Henry Knight and would go on to be elected as President of the United States. After defeating Gonzo Uncle Sam and his team were sponsored by the new administration and remained so until they were downsized as a result of the financial crisis.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Uncle Sam in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #24 (February 1987)

Who's Who in the DC Universe #16 (February 1992)