From its very first days as a colony of Great Britain, America wielded a strength brought about by the diversity of its lands. Southern colonies, and eventually the Southern states, were primarily agricultural. Socially, the South functioned as an aristocracy reminiscent of its upper-class English heritage. However, Northern culture differed drastically. Strength in innovation led Northern economies to become more industrial than their Southern counterparts. Culturally, the North existed as a meritocracy, where anyone with the right set of skills could taste success. Over time, these divisions led to a prosperous coexistence between the two economies. Another development that strengthened the system as a whole due to mutually beneficial conditions would be the two-party system that developed in America. Choice of representation in a dual-party system is one source of the political strength and stability that helped America survive and flourish.
Political cartoons represent a strong example of an effective dichotomy. Their treatment of particularly volatile issues in a humorous, easily accessible manner makes them an especially valuable tool for influencing public opinion. Historian Sylvia G.L. Dannett argues that “Pictorial histories have become increasingly popular as a means of viewing and studying the past, but it is the cartoon which truly conveys the essence, the bittersweet mood of the times. By its very tendency to deride, the political cartoon in particular points up—often ruthlessly—the fallacies, evils, and weaknesses of issues and people” (15).
Benjamin Franklin created the first political cartoon in the United States in 1754. During an era of strife and struggle against the combined forces of the French and the Indians, the situation looked grim for the fledgling colonies. Franklin created a cartoon entitled “Unite or Die” that effectively motivated and encouraged each of the colonies to work together to stave off military defeat. Since that landmark cartoon was created, others emerged in response to current events such as wars and elections. However, the medium of the political cartoon did not begin to fully mature until the mid-nineteenth century.
Several factors united in order to guarantee the legitimacy and influence of political cartoons. First of all, increasing literacy rates meant that text could be utilized to intensify the message that a cartoon attempted to convey. Improved technology in the printing and publishing sector made it easier to reproduce cartoons for a wide distribution of readers. The invention of lithographic methods of production meant that skilled masses of chiselers were no longer necessary to reproduce a single cartoon. Lithography did for cartoons what the printing press had done for text centuries earlier. Finally, the decade of the 1850s was integral to the establishment of political cartoons as a respectable medium because of the large number of explosive topics that arose during that period. The Fugitive Slave Act, the Dred Scott decision, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s works, and even the speeches and debates of Abraham Lincoln meant that artists had a wide variety of subjects to work with and comment upon. All of these factors combined to set the stage for the dramatic impact that political cartoons would have on the American public in the decades to come.
A wave of new publications emerged in the 1850s to meet public demand for news. Harper’s Weekly was established in 1857 in New York City, and other weekly publications followed suit. During the course of the war, its pages would feature the drawings of famous cartoonists, such as Frank Beard and Thomas Nast. Other prominent publications established themselves during this period as well, such as Frank Leslie’s in 1858 and Vanity Fair in 1859. The latter featured a number of memorable cartoons and caricatures of Abraham Lincoln, as portrayed by Louis H. Stephens. Abroad, most political cartoons featuring American topics came from London Punch. Sir John Tenniel is remembered as having been one of the most memorable cartoonists of this period. Historian Rufus Rockwell Wilson acknowledges this fact, saying that “He was already a draughtsman of repute when he joined that journal in 1851, and for the greater part of half of a century, he was recognized as incomparably the greatest caricaturist of his time—his pencil a force to be taken into account in every forecast of the drift of public opinion” (viii). The majority of political cartoons were created in the North, specifically in New York’s blossoming publishing industry. Southern political cartoons did not appear until the early 1860s, although a few Southern supporters did create a number of scathing cartoons before then. John Adalbert Volck is usually cited as the most talented and influential of the Southern political cartoonists. Certain publications even issued cartoons that spoke for both sides of the same cause. Gary L. Bunker suggests some reasons why a cartoon would have a particular slant, claiming that “The nature of the illustration depended on a variety of factors: the neutral or partisan philosophy of the magazine, the appearance and behavioral eccentricities of the candidates, the political nuances of events, the momentous issues of the day, opportunities for humor, the relative perceived success of the candidates, and the individual whims moods, or political predilections of the artist” (32). The importance of political cartoons from abroad cannot be overestimated when examining the effects of this medium on public opinion.
Political cartoonists would continue to hold heavy sway over public opinion throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century. Doctor Seuss, creator of many beloved children’s books began his career drawing propaganda during World War II. Even today, Thomas Nast is credited with being the first to portray Santa Claus as a rotund man in a red suit. He was also largely responsible for the dismantling and destruction of the Tweed Ring in New York City in the decades following the Civil War. However, the prominence of political cartoons in later decades is the direct result of their development during the years surrounding the Civil War. Political cartoons emerged as a powerful political and social force and in many ways directly affected the course of historical events during the Civil War.
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