The History of Political Cartoons

 The Creation of The Political Cartoon

The purpose of a political cartoon is to A: Get your own message across in a way that is visually appealing. And B:  Using the visuals to poke fun at or discredit the opposing argument. Detailed in a book titled The Political Cartoon by Charles Press; The old format of political cartooning involved etching a design into a piece of wood. A painstakingly long and tedious as well as costly process. Between the invention of the printing press then the computer. Political cartoons can be mass produced and they have become an essential part to any campaign. Now with AI the concept for cartoons can be made within a matter of seconds.

Here is an example of the old way political cartoons were made versus the new way.

Some of the earliest forms of political cartooning can date back to Europe. Satirical imagery targeting kings like Charles IX and Henri III circulated during the Wars of Religion in the late 16th century. Meanwhile in Italy, they were having their own advancements. The Carracci brothers Agostino and Annibale developed what they called caricatura: portraits that deliberately distorted or exaggerated facial features to convey mockery or criticism. Nowadays this is known by its English name caricature. 

How Political Cartoons Influenced America

National Archives Catalog Number (NAID) 6012445

“Uncle Sam - ‘He wants me to bring him in.’”

The Spanish American war redirected America’s interests from focusing solely on the Western hemisphere to focusing on the rest of the world. The cartoon was titled Tom Loose and was first shared by the Washington Post. It depicts Uncle Sam charging from the Capitol carrying a note reading “Maine Affair”. The cartoon was published on the day after a Senate resolution recognized the independence of Cuba from Spanish rule. The note refers to the explosion of the American battleship USS Maine in the harbor of Havana, an event that triggered demands for U.S. involvement in Cuba’s long-running struggle for independence.

The phrase “‘Lafayette, we are here!’” was used in countless political cartoons. In this cartoon, Berryman makes mocking use of the saying to argue for American intervention in World War II. Published on the eve of Germany’s invasion of France. Uncle Sam in the center of America is seated safely behind a border wall and surrounded by weapons and planes. Many believed America’s involvement in the war was uncalled for and only made situations worse.

The Evening Star May 22, 1940

“‘Lafayette, we are here!’”

Racism in Political Cartoons

History Hit

Nobody is Safe

Finally political cartooning was used to spread racist messages during major world events like World War II. During World War II there was an increase of anti-Japanese propaganda where they were called slurs, and depicted as people who were unable to have complex thoughts due to broken English. Historical Political Cartoons have been archived on History Hit. This is just one of the many racist caricatures that were made in our history. While Political cartoons are a useful tool to spread messages. They can be equally as harmful as they are helpful.

World War II came and went. But that is nowhere near the end of racist cartoons. The civil rights movement of the 1960s saw an increase in anti-black cartoons. This cartoon archived on The Library of Congress depicts segregation during this time period. We see a white waiter being okay with not seating a black family because “They are not American”. Political cartoons were used to further spread the messages of segregation.

The Library of Congress

"It's all right to seat them. They're not Americans"

AI was used in the collecting and summarizing of academic sources. And to show an example of how AI can create the concept of a political cartoon.