http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcnpvftm_8c5rr6wnf&invite=c8jbq76
Student Handout
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcnpvftm_59p6h5nf5&invite=gnx8687
Historical Background to Thomas Nast'...
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcnpvftm_06zjqht28&invite=fdrfp9b
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Student Handout WITH Answers, Student Handout + 1 more item
Student Handout WITH Answers
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcnpvftm_8c5rr6wnf&invite=c8jbq76
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcnpvftm_8c5rr6wnf&invite=c8jbq76
Monday, February 2, 2009
Be Sure to Give Mine Special Attention
Library of Congress. "Herblock's History: Political Cartoons from the Crash to the Millennium." Available from http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/hblock8.jpg. Internet; accessed February 1, 2009.
Exploring Political Cartoons on the Web
I have found a wealth of material on political cartoons on the Internet. What has been interesting, as I’ve come across sites that I use is that the breadth of the material across the whole of the curriculum is sometimes lacking. Using the Internet as a resource, we are at the mercy of the devotees of a particular cartoonist to scan, upload, and host the cartoons of a particular artist. So what we end up with is important and extremely useful sites that focus on a cartoonist, or a specific event. But it takes a lot of research online (and sometimes offline) to find material that is useful outside of what is easily accessible on the Internet. Further, although this may be obvious, material on the 20th century is much more accessible than material on the 19th century.
The cartoons of Thomas Nast, who illustrated during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, are extremely important for understanding the era as well as appreciating the huge step forward political cartooning made with the advent of Nast. Thanks to harpweek.com, much of Nast’s work can be found online, complete with explanations of the meaning and symbols in the cartoons. Also very useful is the “Analyze a Thomas Nast Cartoon” at historymatters.gmu.edu. It might be interesting for students to view Nast’s cartoons on Boss Tweed, which are his most famous, and ask students how they view Nast’s politics (without telling them Tweed was a Democrat). I suspect that most would say that Nast was “looking out for the little guy” against corruption and greed among the powerful, or something equivalent. Then, the teacher could show them the cartoon at History Matters, to show students that in the case of the money question in the late 1800s, Nast was firmly on the side of business and the powerful and against what farmers (if not industrial workers) fought for. What is also useful about the History Mattes site is that the students can hear how Professor O’Malley interprets the cartoon, going well beyond superficial interpretations that students (and this teacher) initially saw.
The election of 1912 was momentous because a progressive Democrat was elected in a three-way race against two Republicans (one of whom was running as a Progressive). The NARA site has a great background essay on the election, as well as four cartoons that are useful to show criticism of Theodore Roosevelt’s decision to run for a third term (breaking the tradition set by Washington). Another cartoon shows the importance of winning Ohio for Republican presidents. It would be interesting for students to view electoral maps from both before and after this election, to show the importance of Ohio through at least the election of 2004 for Republicans. The last cartoon on the NARA could be used in a history or government class to illustrate the difficulties of campaigning and electioneering on candidates, as well as the uncertainty of the 1912 election.
The Dr. Seuss Went to War site is a great site to use to demonstrate specific historical events related to World War II. Most students are already familiar with Dr. Seuss’ style in very different contexts, so it might be entertaining for them to see him propagandize for the United States during the war. Students may also be interested in the pervasive racism that Dr. Seuss demonstrates toward Japanese subjects in his cartoons. Obviously, teachers in the public school setting should be sensitive in how (and how much) they show these types of cartoons.
Finally, Herb Block’s cartoons are wonderful for discussions about events of the recent past (sine the 1950s). Block is quite critical of Republicans, especially Nixon and Reagan, so the teacher may need to temper some of his criticisms with explanations from their defenders.
The cartoons of Thomas Nast, who illustrated during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, are extremely important for understanding the era as well as appreciating the huge step forward political cartooning made with the advent of Nast. Thanks to harpweek.com, much of Nast’s work can be found online, complete with explanations of the meaning and symbols in the cartoons. Also very useful is the “Analyze a Thomas Nast Cartoon” at historymatters.gmu.edu. It might be interesting for students to view Nast’s cartoons on Boss Tweed, which are his most famous, and ask students how they view Nast’s politics (without telling them Tweed was a Democrat). I suspect that most would say that Nast was “looking out for the little guy” against corruption and greed among the powerful, or something equivalent. Then, the teacher could show them the cartoon at History Matters, to show students that in the case of the money question in the late 1800s, Nast was firmly on the side of business and the powerful and against what farmers (if not industrial workers) fought for. What is also useful about the History Mattes site is that the students can hear how Professor O’Malley interprets the cartoon, going well beyond superficial interpretations that students (and this teacher) initially saw.
The election of 1912 was momentous because a progressive Democrat was elected in a three-way race against two Republicans (one of whom was running as a Progressive). The NARA site has a great background essay on the election, as well as four cartoons that are useful to show criticism of Theodore Roosevelt’s decision to run for a third term (breaking the tradition set by Washington). Another cartoon shows the importance of winning Ohio for Republican presidents. It would be interesting for students to view electoral maps from both before and after this election, to show the importance of Ohio through at least the election of 2004 for Republicans. The last cartoon on the NARA could be used in a history or government class to illustrate the difficulties of campaigning and electioneering on candidates, as well as the uncertainty of the 1912 election.
The Dr. Seuss Went to War site is a great site to use to demonstrate specific historical events related to World War II. Most students are already familiar with Dr. Seuss’ style in very different contexts, so it might be entertaining for them to see him propagandize for the United States during the war. Students may also be interested in the pervasive racism that Dr. Seuss demonstrates toward Japanese subjects in his cartoons. Obviously, teachers in the public school setting should be sensitive in how (and how much) they show these types of cartoons.
Finally, Herb Block’s cartoons are wonderful for discussions about events of the recent past (sine the 1950s). Block is quite critical of Republicans, especially Nixon and Reagan, so the teacher may need to temper some of his criticisms with explanations from their defenders.
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