Political Cartoons
What they tell us about the time
Who is this?..
You guessed it – Abe Lincoln

Lincoln as a Monkey, holding a copy
of the Emancipation Proclamation
by David H. Strother - Pencil on paper,
Richmond ,VA. 1863.
Why use political cartoons?
For propoganda
To draw attention to an idea or
event
To present a point of view
To encourage a course of action
To stimulate debate on an event or
idea
To entertain and
inform
To catch the reader
and get their attention
Taken from your text
Book p. R 28
Subject
A Political Race – the Election of 1860
Symbols
Running is a symbol for a political campaign
Message
Lincoln is the tallest and fastest – the leading candidate
A brief history of political cartoons
Modern American political cartoons have been around since the
nineteenth century. The increase in newspaper and magazine
popularity in the 1800's provided more use of political cartoons..
People with minimal reading abilities could understand and relate
to a format that communicated powerful ideas in a humorous
manner. Symbols, caricature, drawings, and exaggerations drawn
by the cartoonist, point out the themes and problems of that
historical era.
Political cartoons play an important part in telling the history of a
era.
Cartoon History continued..
Political cartoons serve to make people think
about political and government issues by:
providing readers with additional viewpoints
assuming the reader has enough
background knowledge about the issues
to understand the message
emphasizing one side of an issue or concern
utilizing humor
relying on drawings to make a point

Dr. Seuss as Political cartoonist

Dr. Seuss- You know him for The
Cat in the Hat, but between
1940-1948 T. Geisel was known
for his political cartoons and was
the editor in chief of the New
York newspaper PM . He drew
over 400 political cartoons
during that time.
How to analyze a cartoon –
what makes it works so well on so
many levels?????
Cartoon Analysis Worksheet
Level 1 –
• Visuals - Look at the objects or people in
the cartoon
• Words – Look at the caption , title , and
any dates or numbers in the cartoon
Level 2 •Visuals – What symbols do you see &
what do they mean for this time period?
•Words – What phrases or words are most
significant & what emotions do they evoke?
It's No Laughing Matter - Analyzing
Political Cartoons - The Learning
Page from the Library of Congress
22nd amendment – two terms
What did this mean in 1800?
What the cartoon meant
This contemporary satire of an Anti-Federalist Club
reflects the Federalists’ belief that their political opponents
were members of secret societies that promoted
revolution and mob rule. The cartoon depicts Thomas
Jefferson, a founder and leader of the DemocraticRepublicans, standing on a table as he rallies the devil, a fat
drunkard protesting the Federal Government, an African
American named "Citizen Mungo,��? New York antiFederalists Governor DeWitt Clinton and Commodore
Livingston, French minister Edmond Genet, and
Philadelphian David Rittenhouse peering through his
telescope at a satire of the "Creed of the Democratic
Party."
What does this represent?
Squatting Rights….

The Redcoats will gladly pay the Native
American for American Scalps if they help
protect the British Forts in the
Northwest Territory.
Political cartoon from 1860 depicting Stephen A. Douglas receiving a spanking from
Columbia as Uncle Sam looks on
approvingly
Guess what this meant…
What it meant in 1798

What Jay's treaty with Britain did do was
to infuriate the French. After all, France
had sent soldiers to assist America throw
off the tyranny of Britain, and now the
United States was aligning with Britain
against France.The French withdrew their
minister from Philadelphia, refused to
receive the newly appointed U.S. Minister,
Charles Pinckney, and began to seize U.S.
ships on the high seas bound for Britain.
The XYZ affair
Cartoon Analysis in review:
When looking at a political cartoon
 Think what event or issue inspired the cartoon.
 Are there any real people in the cartoon? Who is
portrayed in the cartoon.
 Are there symbols in the cartoon and what might they
mean?
 What is the cartoonist’s opinions about the topic?
 Do you agree or disagree with the cartoonist’s opinion?
 You will try to be a cartoonist and design your own
cartoon about a historical event we just studied.

Making your own cartoon
Begin with a clear idea or event
 A cartoon is not literal, but should make
the viewer use their imagination.
 Avoid cluttering up the white space
 Exaggeration, symbols, stereotypes a bit,
and characatures help the viewer grasp
the concept quickly.
 You don’t have to know how to draw- but
it helps.

That’s all folks - from me and Porky
Pig….
Modern Day Political Cartoons

The Scream - - Toyota – break
problems?
 Anaylize
this one.
 Look at
labels and
symbols
Resources and cite credits:
Dr. Seuss Went to War: A Catalog of Political Cartoons by Dr.
Seuss
For two years, 1941-1943, Theodor Geisel was the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York newspaper
PM and drew more than 400 editorial cartoons.
Political Cartoons: Do You “Get It”? This U.S. News activity
provides a guide to understanding political cartoons.
Analyzing Political Cartoons This Newsweek Education Program
activity walks students through the process of analyzing
political cartoons. http://editorialcartoonists.com/