In 1777, Hessian soldiers who were serving in the British side in the American Revolutionary War were pursuing a wagon train bringing supplies to General George Washington's troops at Valley Forge. Without those supplies, the American cause was doomed.

One of the men accompanying the train was a courageous white-haired patriot named Sam who tricked the Hessian troops into pursuing him while the wagon train got away safely. Sam's plan succeeded, but Hessian soldiers gunned him down. As Sam lay dying, he had the vision of the spirit of American freedom, who appeared as a bearded, white-haired man garbed in the costume we now know as that of Uncle Sam. Sam's spirit rose from his body and united with the spirit of freedom, which told him, "We will be one, as you guide America through the future."

Through the succeeding decades, the being known as Uncle Sam appeared to help Americans in times of national turmoil. He fought alongside Americans on the battlefield and helped them fight for their rights against oppression within America.

In 1940 Uncle Sam, the spirit of liberty, decided to come to life again now that America was threatened by the Axis powers and by subversives such as the Black Legions. The spirit of Uncle Sam appeared to a white-haired mid-western patriot named Samuel, who opposed the Black Legions. The spirit merged with Samuel, who became the new Uncle Sam and defeated the Legions and other enemies of freedom.

Uncle Sam learned of a parallel Earth that became known as Earth -X, where America was in even greater danger from the Axis powers than on his own native Earth. Uncle Sam recruited a number of costumed heroes as members of the team called the Freedom Fighters, who fought the Axis powers on Earth -X. Eventually the Axis powers took over Earth - X, but finally the Freedom Fighters - along with the JLA and JSA overthrew Earth- X's Nazi government.

As a result of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, history was changed so that Earth -X never existed. In this new history, Uncle Sam still led the Freedom Fighters, who were a spin-off group from the All - Star squadron. Uncle Sam still battles for the rights and freedoms of American's yoday.