Good Ole Uncle Sam

Today we're going to look at a character in American History that becomes very important this time of year... Uncle Sam!

Who is this patriotic guy anyway? Answers.com provided us with this answer:

"Uncle Sam is the cartoon embodiment of the government of the United States of America, a character who appeared in newspapers and magazines beginning in the first part of the 19th century. The commonly accepted version of his origin, or at least the best explanation anyone's been able to supply, is that he was modeled after Samuel Wilson, a meat purveyor to the United States army during the War of 1812. Known as "Uncle Sam," Wilson put his initials on his goods. The initials U.S. were also taken to stand for United States. Over the years Uncle Sam evolved into a tall, white-haired man with beard, sporting patriotic colors and a top hat. The most common modern image can be traced to his depiction by James Montgomery Flagg from 1916, for a military recruitment poster calling "I Want YOU For the U.S. Army.""

Love this little guy from PapieAngels

How cute is this print? From JenKlimas

This is a birdhouse - and I love it! From craftybonnie
This is the cutest little Uncle Sam Baby ever! From sweetpeatoadpots

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Stripes

Today let's learn about the stripes on the American flag, c/o WikiAnswers!

• The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. The colors have a different meaning. White represents courage and red represents the blood shed.

• The number of the stripes - 13 - signifies the 13 colonies of the time. The red, historically, represents the British while the white stripes cutting through the red is a political statement against Great Britain and its rule over the colonies. You will find that many flags of the time, including the flag of George Rogers Clark carried the tradition of intersected red fields.

Etsy is full of patriotic stripes! Here are some of my favorites...

I am in love with this bag from ikabags - navy stripes are my thing right now.

Love the stripes on this stylish doll from goodbyebluemonday
This headband from firstkiss is just too cute!

Be green and patriotic with this sandwich wrap from madasplace

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Stars

In honor of this being the week leading up to Independence Day I have scoured Etsy for the best it has to offer in terms of stars.

Before we get to that let's remind ourselves of what these 50 stars stand for:

"The white stars on the American flag symbolize the individual states. There is one star for each state in the union. There are currently 50, for the fifty states in the union. Whenever a new state joins, a new star is added to the flag on the following 4th of July. The last time that happened was on July 4, 1960; Hawaii having become a state in the latter part of 1959..."
Thank you WikiAnswers!

babblingbrookes created these lovely little earrings!

Isn't this dog collar from GertyDesigns just a great accessory for your patriotic pooch?

This star bracelet from nyjolejewelllery has the "Wow" factor!

These beads from JeweledFibers are just plain neat.

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