Political Cartoons in Colonial America
Part of your Colonial Newspaper Project is to write an editorial on an issue related to your study of Colonial America. When you're finished with your article, you need to create a "political cartoon" which comments on the sentiment or feeling you express in your editorial or opinion piece. The cartoon should be directly related to the editorial you've written. The first American political cartoon appeared in Benjamin Franklin's newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754. It appeared as part of an editorial by Franklin commenting on "the present disunited state of the British Colonies". The woodcut drawing entitled "Join or Die" pictures a divided snake in eight pieces representing as many colonial governments. The drawing was based on the popular superstition that a snake that had been cut in two would come to life if the pieces were joined before sunset. Navigate to the following link to learn about the history of Newspapers in Colonial America,
Another famous example of a political cartoon from the Colonial period has to do with the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1765. This is the same picture in our textbook on page 193. The picture shows a mock funeral procession for the ill-loved Stamp Act. The sharpest eye will spot the dog peeing on the leg of the minister. Very irreverent, very rebellious, indeed! It's one of my favorites.
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