The cartoon was most likely drawn in response to which of the following?

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

From an early age, William “Boss” Tweed discovered he had a knack for politics. His political career began in 1850, when he ran as an alderman from the Seventh Ward of New York City. He served a frustrating term in Congress during the divisive sectional tensions of the 1850s and then happily returned to local politics, where he believed the action was. He quickly became one of the leading, and most corrupt, politicians in New York City. Tweed and his cronies in Tammany Hall—the organization that controlled the Democratic Party and most of its votes—directed local services, controlled elections, and received millions of dollars in kickbacks, bribes, and other forms of brazen corruption.

Tweed’s greed drew the attention of Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for the periodical Harper’s Weekly. Nast’s cartoons drew attention to Tweed and his many illegal activities. Tweed feared Nast’s cartoons to a much greater extent than newspaper articles, because many of his constituents were illiterate, and he even offered Nast a bribe to stop these public criticisms. Tweed was right to fear this criticism because Nast’s cartoons helped lead to his downfall and arrest in 1876. Tweed died in jail in 1878, and Nast continued to draw for Harper’s Weekly until 1886.

1. Who was the artist of these political cartoons?
2. What was the artist’s goal in creating these cartoons?
3. Why did Boss Tweed fear these cartoons?

Figure 1: The caption of the cartoon reads: “Boss Tweed: ‘As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it? Say?’”

Figure 2: The cartoon caption reads: “The ‘Brains’ that achieved the Tammany victory at the Rochester Democratic Convention.”

Figure 3: The cartoon caption reads: “The Tammany Tiger Loose—‘What are you going to do about it?’” Before being knocked to the ground by the tiger, the woman had been wearing a crown labeled “republic” and carrying a sword labeled “power”; she lies on top of a paper labeled “law” and a battered flag.

1. (Figure 1) (Figure 2) (Figure 3) How do these cartoons demonstrate that Boss Tweed had an unfair grip over politics in New York? Use specific examples from the cartoons to support your answer.
2. (Figure 1) (Figure 2) (Figure 3) Which cartoon do you feel is most effective? Explain.

1. According to Thomas Nast’s portrayal, what threat did Boss Tweed represent to constitutional principles and a healthy civil society?
2. What is the role of a free press in questioning governmental actions in a constitutional republic?
3. Do you think political cartoons play the same role in questioning government today as they did in Thomas Nast’s time? Explain.

1: In Counting there is Courage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed#/media/File:Boss_Tweed,_Nast.jpg

2: “The Brains”: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boss_Tweed,_Thomas_Nast.jpg

3: “Tammany Tiger Loose”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Nast#/media/File:Nast-Tammany.jpg

A careful analysis of political cartoons can provide a glimpse into key moments of U.S. political history. In this activity, students will closely examine political cartoons about the Stamp Act; make inferences about the political, social, and economic situations depicted therein; and offer informed speculations concerning each creator’s point of view.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Analyze political cartoons.
• Identify the ways in which point of view can be detected in political cartoons.

Time Required

Two 50-minute class periods

Lesson Preparation

Materials

The following materials are used during extension activities:

• “Magna Britannia” (PDF, 323 KB) (print one copy per student)

Resources

Before leading students through the exploration process, teachers should make themselves familiar with the following Library of Congress resources:

Additional Resources

Lesson Procedure

Activity One (One Class Period)

1. Begin class with a discussion about political cartoons, based around the following questions and possible responses:
   • What is a political cartoon?
     A political cartoon is a cartoon that makes a point about a political issue or event.
   • What topics do political cartoons address?
     Could include economics, politics, social issues/events, prominent individuals.
   • How can you tell what the message of the political cartoon is?
     By observing and analyzing the images and text.
   • What is a thesis?
     A main idea put forward for discussion, such as in a paragraph, an essay, or a cartoon.
   • What is point of view?
     A person’s belief or judgment on an issue.
   • How might point of view affect a political cartoonist?
     A cartoonist will be guided by his or her point of view. Cartoonists might only express their own beliefs on an issue, or they might take the point of view of others into consideration.
2. Introduce the concept of primary source analysis to the students. Distribute the Primary Source Analysis Tool (PDF 79 KB) to each student and explain that they will use this handout to analyze a political cartoon. Tell them that the key to primary source analysis isn’t finding the correct answer, but asking the most effective questions.

   Before the students begin, select questions from the teacher’s guide Analyzing Political Cartoons to focus and prompt analysis and discussion. Distribute or display a recent political cartoon on an issue of current interest. Model for students the process of inquiry-based primary source analysis using questions from each column as a guide. Students should record the responses on their individual handout.

   Lead students through a discussion of the point of view expressed in this cartoon.

3. Have students create a political cartoon that communicates a different point of view than the one they analyzed.

Activity Two (One Class Period)

1. Have students pair up and share the political cartoons they created. Remind students of the primary source analysis process they went through previously, and ask them to discuss each other’s cartoons for five minutes. Distribute the Primary Source Analysis Tool handout, and ask students to discuss each other’s cartoons.
2. Explain to students that they will be analyzing a historical political cartoon and thinking about the political cartoonist’s point of view. Distribute “The repeal, or the funeral of Miss Ame=Stamp” (PDF, 863 KB) to each student, along with the Primary Source Analysis Tool (PDF, 79 KB). Have students perform a primary source analysis on the cartoon, recording their responses on their individual copies of the handout. Ask students to evaluate the cartoon to examine the cartoonist’s point of view. If students need prompting use questions selected from the teacher's guide Analyzing Political Cartoons to focus and prompt analysis and discussion.

   Note: If you feel students need additional information on the Stamp Act, you might review the relevant material in this Library of Congress exhibition, John Bull and Uncle Sam: Four Centuries of British-American Relations.

3. Discuss the two handouts once students complete them, or after collecting them, evaluating them, and returning them to students.

Extension

• Have students analyze another political cartoon about the Stamp Act, “Magna Britannia” (PDF, 323 KB) by Benjamin Franklin. Have students complete the Primary Source Analysis Tool (PDF/79KB), and then discuss the differences between “Magna Britannia” (PDF, 323 KB) and “The repeal, or the funeral of Miss Ame=Stamp.” (PDF, 863 KB). Before the students begin, select questions from the teacher’s guide Analyzing Political Cartoons to focus and prompt analysis and discussion.
• The Stamp Act was not the only legislation imposed on the American colonists by the British government. Have students explore the exhibition John Bull & Uncle Sam: Four Centuries of British-American Relations to locate another political cartoon that addresses the legislation from the perspective of the colonists. Analyze this new cartoon with the Primary Source Analysis Tool (PDF, 79 KB) . Before the students begin, select questions from the teacher’s guide Analyzing Political Cartoons to focus and prompt analysis and discussion.
• Using one of the following Library of Congress collections and exhibitions, have students locate a political cartoon that deals with an aspect of history that they are familiar with and analyze it using the Primary Source Analysis Tool (PDF, 79 KB)

Lesson Evaluation

• Assess student-drawn political cartoons for evidence of student understanding of the ways in which point of view can affect how a political cartoon is created.
• Assess the primary source analysis tool for evidence of student understanding of how to analyze political cartoons.
• Teacher observation of critical thinking.

Credits

Terri Bramhall