The "Join or Die" political cartoon is an important part in American history, created by Benjamin Franklin in 1754. It was the first political cartoon published in an American newspaper and was designed to rally the American colonies to unite against French and Native American forces during the French and Indian War.
The cartoon uses a segmented snake as a metaphor for the disunited states, each segment labeled with the initials of a colony. Its enduring message of unity and common cause resonates even today, underscoring its historical importance.
This American political cartoon was first published in the Seattle Union Record in 1913. Maybe tastes have changed over the years, but this feels very on the nose, even by political cartoon standards!
The cartoon features a "shortsighted employer" who is trying in vain to stop the progress of organized labor. Considering that the United States still has a contentious relationship with unions, perhaps the illustrator was the one being shortsighted.
In 1924, Senator William Borah gave a speech to Congress about corruption in campaign contributions, which the Senate was then investigating. This cartoon, illustrated by Clifford Berryman, was a response to that speech.
In this cartoon, we see a GOP Elephant and a Democrat Donkey holding signs that say, "Campaign Contributions Cause Colossal Crimes" while asking the other if they get it. This illustrates the perceived hypocrisy of both parties, which were very interested in corruption when the other party did it but not so much when it was coming from their own party.
"Two More Bright Spots on the Map" by Harry Osborn, published in the Maryland Suffrage News on November 14, 1914, is a political cartoon that celebrates a significant milestone in the women's suffrage movement in the United States.
The cartoon marks the occasion of Montana and Nevada granting women the right to vote, symbolically represented as bright spots being painted on a map of the United States by Lady Justice.
"The Rhodes Colossus" is a political cartoon by Edward Linley Sambourne, published in Punch magazine in 1892. The cartoon portrays British imperialist Cecil Rhodes as a giant straddling Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, reflecting his ambition to build a transcontinental railway.
The cartoon is significant as it visually encapsulates the era's imperialistic ambitions and the concept of 'The Scramble for Africa.' The image has endured and is often adapted to represent other forms of dominance and ambition, underlining its lasting impact on political discourse.
"Plum Pudding in Danger" is a notable political cartoon by James Gillray, published in 1805. It symbolizes the tense geopolitical situation during the Napoleonic Wars. The cartoon depicts British Prime Minister William Pitt and Napoleon Bonaparte sitting at a table, carving a globe-shaped plum pudding, representing the world.
Each leader's slice signifies their imperial ambitions. The cartoon is significant as it vividly illustrates the rivalry between Britain and France and the power struggles of the era. It's a classic example of satire being used to comment on international politics.
"Boss Tweed and the Tammany Ring" is a series of political cartoons by Thomas Nast, published in Harper's Weekly in the 1870s. These cartoons exposed the corruption of William "Boss" Tweed and his Tammany Hall political machine in New York City.
Nast's work significantly raised public awareness, leading to Tweed's eventual arrest and conviction. These cartoons' legacy is profound, as they highlighted the power of visual satire in journalism and its ability to influence public opinion and drive political change. They remain a landmark in the history of American political cartoons.
"We Can Do It!" is a 1943 wartime poster created by J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse Electric. It was designed as part of the U.S. national campaign to recruit women into the workforce during World War II.
It features an image of a strong female worker, later known as "Rosie the Riveter," flexing her arm muscle. This iconic image has an immense legacy, as it became a symbol of female empowerment and gender equality. Even today, "We Can Do It!" continues to inspire and represent women's contributions to society.
This political cartoon was published in Regeneración, an anarchist newspaper published by the Mexican Liberal Party in the early 1900s.
The cartoon portrays the then-president of Mexico, Porfirio Díaz, turning a lever that is crushing the liberties of the Mexican people: namely, justice, the constitution, the free press, suffrage, and financial integrity.
"The Devil's Broth" is a political cartoon that emerged in response to the Oregon Compulsory Education Act of 1922. This contentious piece of legislation mandated that all children attend public schools, a move that was seen as an attack on private and religious education institutions.
The cartoon suggests that the law was an attempt to suppress minority religious practices and centralize control over education. It vividly captures the heated debate of the era, symbolizing the resistance against government overreach into educational matters and the preservation of religious freedom.
Some political cartoons are still understandable, even decades or centuries later. This particular cartoon, however, is not one of them. If you're confused about why common people are being put through the wringer by anthracite and meat trusts, you're in good company!
This cartoon is a reference to a strike by anthracite miners in the early 1900s. The strike threatened to cripple major American cities due to the impending cold weather of winter.
Child labor laws were a contentious issue in the early 20th century in the United States. This political cartoon decided subtlety was unnecessary and simply portrayed businesses that hire children as a giant hand that's crushing kids.
The illustrator and publication date on this cartoon are a bit of a mystery. It's estimated that it was published sometime around 1912 and has been attributed to both Herbert Johnson and Lewis Hine and various points in history.
This political cartoon, illustrated by a staff cartoonist at the Oregon Labor Press in 1916, was created in support of the Peoples Land and Loan Measure, which supporters saw as a way to pull the unemployed out of poverty.
While the measure itself was never passed by voters, the cartoon has managed to survive all the way into the modern day.
In the late 1800s/early 1900s, the idea of "hyphenated Americans" (Irish-American, Italian-American, etc.) was a subject of hot debate. While those opposed to hyphenated Americans supported naturalized citizens, they opposed these citizens having even the appearance of loyalty to their former nations.
This political cartoon, published in Puck magazine in 1899, shows Uncle Sam scowling as hyphenated Americans place their votes in the ballot box. The men are illustrated with a line down the middle, with one side dressed in the American style of the time while the other half is dressed in clothing from their home countries.
In 1906, Puck magazine published a striking political cartoon portraying Senator Nelson Aldrich as a spider, a vivid representation of public sentiment towards Aldrich's influential role in American politics and economics.
The cartoon captures Aldrich in the center of a web, symbolizing how he was viewed as ensnaring the U.S. economy and government policy within his influential reach, highlighting concerns over the intertwining of corporate power and politics during the Progressive Era.
