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Political Cartoon Explanations Political Cartoon Explanations By Rebekah Clark “Militants” Life Magazine, 1913 By employing warrior invokes iconic symbolism of Joan of Arc persuasive techniques such as exaggeration, to portray suffragists as self-proclaimed heroines, symbolism, analogy, labeling, and irony, this cartoon saints, martyrs, and divinely-guided warriors fighting demonstrates ways that political cartoonists to save their people from oppressors. The adjacent communicate their messages. Three sets of images symbol of the halo casts suffragists as angels, while illustrate contrasting portrayals of women’s rights the beaming light emanating from the next suffragist advocates. Comparison of the sets uses irony to suggests enlightenment. The laurel wreath worn by provide commentary about the true nature of the last suffragist in this set is an ancient symbol of suffragists. victory, wisdom, and honor. (See “The Apotheosis of Liberty,” 1912, below). In stark contrast, the final set The first set, captioned “As They Are,” includes of images, labeled by the caption “As They Appear to exaggerated images of unattractive, unkempt, and the Police and Shopkeepers,” portrays suffragists as masculine women wearing “Votes for Women” horned demons. By depicting these demons as most ribbons, indicating the cartoonist’s opinion that all closely resembling the first set (militants “As They women who support suffrage are “militants” who Are”), the cartoonist implies that the true nature of lack femininity, beauty, and decorum. The second suffragists is much closer to the demonized version set, labeled “As They Think They Are,” uses symbols as viewed by opponents than it is to the beautiful to argue that suffragists possess an aggrandized and honorable self-image of suffragists. self-image. The resolute and fiercely beautiful “Female Suffrage” Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, with a unified, political motive. The women carry a flag which prominently reads “Straight Dem Ticket,” This political cartoon refers to the question 1869 indicating that if allowed to vote, Mormon women of granting women’s suffrage in Utah Territory, a would follow the commands of Young and vote for proposition that Congress was debating at that time. the Democratic Party. In reality, the Democratic and Many anti-polygamists argued that, if enfranchised, Republican parties were not established in Utah until Utah women would vote for candidates who the late-1890s. While this “Straight Dem Ticket,” detail would end polygamy. Others, as depicted in this is thus historically inaccurate, it was an effective cartoon, warned that granting Utah women suffrage warning that resonated with the Republican majority would create an even larger voting bloc to protect in post-Civil War America. The caption, “Wouldn’t polygamy and other Mormon political agendas that it put just a little too much power into the hands they believed ran counter to American values. of Brigham Young, and his tribe?” provides a clear The image depicts a stern and commanding Brigham warning that women’s suffrage would only serve to Young marching to the voting polls followed by strengthen the political power of Mormons in Utah. dozens of women carrying babies in one arm and Reflecting the racially-charged views of the time, the electoral ballots in the other. The women, presumably term “tribe” further cast Mormons as “un-American” Young’s wives, follow along in an unending stream and the embodiment of “The Other.” “Washington D.C.” Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, female suffragist. The illustration’s caption reads: “Washington D.C.—The Judiciary Committee of the 1871 This cartoon uses comparison to show that House of Representatives receiving a deputation non-Utah suffragists at this time were sometimes of female suffragists, January 21—A lady delegate portrayed in the national media as dignified and reading her account in favor of woman’s voting, respectable women, while Utah suffragists were on the basis of the fourteenth and fifteenth illustrated as victims or even slaves. Even though Constitutional amendments.” This cartoon is Utah women had obtained the vote and were proving particularly notable for its depiction of suffragists themselves politically competent, the strong national who are stylish, dignified, empowered, and ladylike, bias against polygamy kept the media from depicting and for its portrayal of important men respectfully Utah as a positive example of progressivism. giving attention to the arguments of the ladies. The suffragists portrayed in this cartoon are The arguments are depicted as valid and rational, gathered with congressmen who listen intently to as indicated by the caption asserting that they the arguments read by a confident and respectable are based on the newly-passed constitutional amendments. “The Mormon Octopus Enslaving the Women of Utah” Polygamy: or, The Mysteries and Crimes off of post-Civil War sentiment against slavery. Polygamy had been linked with slavery since the , 1882 The octopus inspired of Mormonism 1856 Republican platform denounced them both as deep fear and revulsion in nineteenth-century the “twin relics of barbarism.” The octopus, depicted Americans. This “monster” became a common image with the upper body of a man, stretches out from to villainize and de-humanize a political opponent or Salt Lake City with writhing tentacles seeking more economic threat. The octopus image was frequently female victims. Wrapped in coiled tentacles and employed against Mormons in nineteenth-century unable to escape, the women are portrayed as propaganda to depict the maligned religion and its beautiful but helpless victims caught in the grasp of colonization of the West and practice of polygamy the monster. This demonstrates the control and even as an evil, insidious, and aggressive threat. By casting enslavement that many believed the church imposed Mormonism as an evil threat seeking to extend its against women, both through polygamy as well as “tentacles” throughout the nation, anti-polygamists through controlling their political voice and votes. were able to push through anti-polygamy legislation Appearing in the same year that the anti-polygamy in the 1880s. Edmunds Act passed, this cartoon served as a fear- Labeled with the caption, “The Mormon Octopus inducing warning to justify the disfranchisement Enslaving the Women of Utah,” this cartoon plays imposed by the anti-polygamy legislation. “An Unsightly Object” The Judge, 1882 This cartoon bears the After the abolition of slavery in the South, many caption: “An Unsightly Object—Who Will Take an Americans turned their efforts to the prohibition of Axe and Hew It Down?” It portrays a Mormon man polygamy in Utah, which they saw as subjugating defiantly shaking his fist at Congress while standing women and as challenging governmental authority. on a platform labeled “Polygamy.” The man, shown United States President Chester Arthur responded as audacious and threatening, along with the signs to these concerns by condemning polygamy in each labeled “Leave Us Alone” and “Hands Off,” are of his State of the Union addresses and calling upon designed to be a depiction of the Mormon population Congress for more radical legislation. The cartoon as openly disobedient to governmental authority. He depicts indecisive congressmen surrounding the holds in his other hand chains that extend around “Unsightly Object” of the polygamy platform. The axe the necks of five women who kneel around him. The portrayed in the cartoon, wedged into the platform- women are portrayed as haggard, downtrodden, bearing pole, is labeled “Arthur’s Message” to indicate oppressed victims. They wear tags with numbers as the cartoonist’s support of President Arthur’s stand if they are slaves to be sold. The scene is reminiscent against polygamy. Not long after, President Arthur of a slave auction, catering to the prevalent public signed the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Bill into law, attitude that polygamy was a form of mental and which made polygamy a felony and prohibited physical enslavement of women. polygamists from voting, holding public office, and serving on juries. “Great Sin of the Century” Daily Graphic, 1883 As was common with vote, hold office, and serve on juries. The caption anti-Mormon propaganda, the beast in this political quotes Uncle Sam: “I’ll have to get a longer ladder cartoon is portrayed as a domineering male figure before I can do anything with that chap.” while the women in the cartoon are depicted as The caption makes the cartoon’s meaning clear. The helpless pleading victims. The bloodthirsty, hat- Edmunds Law was insufficient to reach the problem wearing vulture, labeled “Mormonism,” grasps and to eradicate Mormonism and its practice of two women tightly in its talons. Human bones are polygamy. The cartoon thus argues for increased scattered around them as the vulture sits with a legislative measures. Within a few years, Congress menacing stance on a ledge high above Uncle Sam. passed the more stringent Edmunds-Tucker Act, An axe and knife seem to have done little to deter which disfranchised all women in Utah Territory, the monster. Uncle Sam holds a short ladder which unincorporated the LDS Church, and seized the bears the label “Edmund’s Law,” referring to the church’s property. This bill proved to be effective in 1882 anti-polygamy legislation that made polygamy ending Mormon polygamy, but it sacrificed the voting a felony and took away the right of polygamists to power of Utah women in the process. “The Mormon Question” Daily Graphic, 1883 This political cartoon to resist enslavement. The caption reads: “The similarly contains commentary on the 1882 Edmunds Mormon Question: What is Uncle Sam Going to Anti-Polygamy Act. It depicts Uncle Sam in police Do About It?” The cartoonist challenges Congress uniform, wearing a sling with the label “Edmunds to go further than the Edmunds Act to combat Law,” implying that the United States was in fact the Mormon threat. It portrays suspicions that weakened, rather than strengthened, by the 1882 Mormons, like the Confederacy, were attempting legislation.
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