HIS206: United States History II WK2

Identify the character(s) in the cartoon:

In the cartoon we see Uncle Sam, the recently acquired territories of the Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam. We also see the various states, a Chinese American, a Native American, and an African American.

Identify the symbols and actions the artist employs in the cartoon:

The cartoon uses the symbolism of a classroom in which Uncle Sam, or America, is the teacher. The Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam are identified using labelling, are portrayed using racist exaggeration, and are depicted as bad students who Uncle Sam is in the process of punishing them. The American states are also identified using labelling, and are portrayed as well behaved white students; the white students are portrayed without racist exaggeration of their features. An African American is depicted cleaning the windows; racist exaggeration is used in his portrayal. A Native American sits by the door, seemingly struggling to read, again, racist exaggeration is used in this depiction. A Chinese American stands outside the door, depicted using racist exaggeration.

Explain the cartoon’s message, intended audience, and if the artist was persuasive to their intended audience:

The message of the cartoon is that the newly acquired American Empire is very similar to a classroom in which “civilization” is taught. The cartoon emphasizes the message that we see in Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden”. As Barnes and Bowles (2015) point out “The poem suggests that providing noble service to the inhabitants of the developing world justified the desire for empire. Viewed as a benevolent enterprise, imperialism also made the domination of another nation’s economic and political structure seem necessary and helpful” (Section 4.1).

By presenting the American Empire as a classroom, the cartoon’s message is one of both American and white supremacy. Both Uncle Sam as the teacher, and the States as model students are portrayed as white, perpetuating the idea that white Americans were more advanced. African Americans, Native Americans, Chinese Americans, and the people of the Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, were portrayed in racist caricature as the reluctant beneficiaries of Uncle Sam’s instruction.

The message was no doubt persuasive, as it tapped into the pervasive ideology of social Darwinism, as well as the racist and imperialist attitudes of the day. By showing the American Empire as a classroom in which the new territories would learn to be like the states, the cartoon plays into the myth that the goal of American Imperialism was to uplift the territories, instead of gain access to their resources and strategic locations.

Source:

Barnes, L. & Bowles, M. (2014).The American story: Perspectives and encounters from 1877. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.