This drawing is one of the many painted by the political caricaturist, Thomas Nast. In order to truly understand the picture, I think it is just as important to understand a little about Nast and his political views. Nast was a devout Republican -minus his brief bout as a “mugwump” in the election of 1884, which happened after this drawing so really does not matter- that drew political cartoons for Harper’s Weekly -also an extremely republican faction at the time this specific drawing appeared. Nast was close friends with Republican President Ulysses S. Grant and frequently defended his presidency through his political drawings. Nast was known for his campaigning against, and ultimate assistance in the takedown of Tammany Hall and the Boss “Tweed Ring,” a corrupt democratic organization.[1] I think this paints a picture of how devout a Republican Nast was during this time!
Now for the drawing itself: Portrayed here is a picture of two men, a Senator from New Jersey named Theodore Fitz Randolph, and more importantly, Winfield Scott Hancock. Hancock was a decorated Union General of the Civil War who gained the democratic nomination in the election of 1880. For the most part, Hancock was highly respected throughout the north and the south and proved to be a strong contender against Republican nominee, James Garfield. The only downfall for Hancock was what many believed to be his lack of experience as a politician and ignorance on certain issues, such as tariffs, which were a top matter during this time.
In 1880, Hancock agreed to an interview with a local New Jersey newspaper. When asked about the tariff, Hancock responded by saying that, “the tariff question is a local question.”[2] Republicans, especially Nast, took this as an affirmation that Hancock was truly ignorant about the tariff issue. Naturally, the Republicans, especially Nast, ran with the information and published the cartoon you see now.
[1]. “Thomas Nast Biography,” Ohio State University, accessed February 14, 2012, http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/bio.htm
[2]. “Harp Weekly 1880 Garfield vs Hancock,” Harp Week, LLC, accessed February 15, 2012, http://elections.harpweek.com/1880/cartoon-1880-medium.asp?UniqueID=36&Year=1880
I too chose this as my blog topic. I found it interesting that even then, the media was playing politics with the words of those running for office. Hancock, in reality was saying he believed that the issue of tariff's should be decided by the people through their representation in Congress. Ironically, that was the same stance taken by Garfield, and yet it was Hancock's choice of words that resulted in such scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper interview is a great story, it appears that politicians have not learned to speak clearly even they have been deservedly mocked for their gaffes for at least 130 years!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how much information the political cartoonists can caputre with basically a pencil. It is fun to now look at our papers today and see the ideas that still carry over from Nast's time.
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