Hi Uncle Sam! is a poem by Irish poet Rev.

William Forbes Marshall William Forbes Marshall (8 May 1888 – January 1959) was an Irish poet and Presbyterian minister from Sixmilecross, County Tyrone, Ireland. Marshall's father was principal teacher at Sixmilecross National School, where he was first edu ...

. It asks of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

s that they remember the input and support of immigrants from

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

on the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

throughout the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. The poem was published in Marshall's book, ''Ulster Sails West'', which was published in 1911. A

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

in Newtownards displays a verse of the poem. The poem was also put to music and recorded by the Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra and verse was used by the

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a division within the Engaged Communities Group of the Department for Communities (DfC). The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is disti ...

in their Emigration Series publication. The "

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of ...

" of title refers to the later personification of the United States.

Lyrics

''For historical references and context, click on the highlighted words or phrases.'' Hi Uncle Sam! When freedom was denied you, And imperial might defied you, Who was it stood beside you At

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and

Brandywine Brandywine may refer to: Food and drink *Brandy, a spirit produced by distilling wine *Brandywine tomato, a variety of heirloom tomato Geographic locations Canada * Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia * Brandywine Mountain, British ...

? And dared retreats and dangers, Red-coats and Hessian strangers, In the lean, long-rifled Rangers, And the

Pennsylvania Line The Pennsylvania Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Pennsylvania Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Pennsylvania at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with simila ...

! Hi! Uncle Sam! Wherever there was fighting, Or wrong that needed

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

, An Ulsterman was sighting His Kentucky gun with care: All the road to Yorktown, From Lexington to Yorktown, From

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...

to Yorktown, That Ulsterman was there! Hi! Uncle Sam!

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

sent her brave men, The North paraded grave men, That they might not be slavemen, But ponder this with calm: The first to face the

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

, And the first to lift

Old Glory Old Glory is a nickname for the flag of the United States. The original "Old Glory" was a flag owned by the 19th-century American sea captain William Driver (March 17, 1803 – March 3, 1886), who flew the flag during his career at sea an ...

, Made your war an Ulster story: Think it over, Uncle Sam!

References

External links

Ulster Ancestry website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hi Uncle Sam Poems about the American Revolution British poems 20th-century Irish literature Poetry by W. F. Marshall Ulster Scottish 1911 poems Works about human migration Irish poems