1. “Rough Riding" Topic: The Democratic Nomination Source: Harper's Weekly Date: January 23, 1904, p. 115 Cartoonist: William Allen Rogers
Complete HarpWeek Explanation: Senator Arthur Pue Gorman of Maryland loses his presidential hat as he is bucked from the Southern Democratic Donkey because of his opposition to the Panama Canal treaty, while Uncle Sam watches with amusement in the background. The cartoon’s title alludes to the nickname of President Theodore Roosevelt’s military unit during the Spanish-American War, “The Rough Riders.”
In 1903, Senator Gorman was the presidential candidate of choice among conservative Democrats. They found his pro-business and anti-imperialist views attractive, even though his trade-protectionist record was at odds with the majority of the party. White southerners appreciatively remembered his opposition to the Federal Elections Bill (“Force Bill”) of Democratic financiers George Gould and Thomas Fortune Ryan promised to contribute generously to his campaign. However, his candidacy was killed by his vocal condemnation of President Roosevelt’s Panama policy. The Maryland senator miscalculated his ability to influence his party on the issue and the intensity of support for a Panamanian Canal in the American South (as represented here by the donkey). On February 23, 1904, the Senate ratified the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, which granted the United States sovereignty over land where the Panama Canal would be built. Sixteen Democrats joined the entire Republican majority to vote in favor. Gorman ended his presidential bid shortly afterward.

2. Cartoonists use simple objects, or symbols, to stand for larger concepts or ideas.
After you identify the symbols in a cartoon, think about what the cartoonist intends each symbol to stand for.

3. “A Crown He Is Entitled to Wear" Topic: Theodore Roosevelt: Pro and Con Source: Judge Date: June 4, 1904 Cartoonist: Victor Gillam
Complete HarpWeek Explanation: Democratic cartoonists had taken to drawing President Theodore Roosevelt with a crown in order to criticize his “imperialist” foreign policy and exercise of executive authority. When the Senate ratified the administration’s Panama Canal treaty on February 23, 1904, 16 Democrats crossed the aisle to vote in the affirmative with the majority Republicans. Roosevelt’s Panama Canal policy was very popular and added to the list of accomplishments that led him to a landslide presidential victory that November. On this cover of the pro-Republican Judge, cartoonist Victor Gillam reverses the derisive Democratic symbol for Roosevelt by depicting the Panama Canal—“The Greatest Achievement For Trade In Modern Times”—as “A Crown He Is Entitled To Wear.”

4. Cartoonists often label objects or people to make it clear exactly what they stand for.
Watch out for the different labels that appear in a cartoon, and ask yourself why the cartoonist chose to label that particular person or object. Does the label make the meaning of the object more clear?

5. “The Lion-Tamer" Topic: The Trusts and Fundraising Source: Harper's Weekly Date: October 15, 1904, p Cartoonist: William Allen Rogers
Complete HarpWeek Explanation: Although Puck, the Democratic humor magazine, characterized President Theodore Roosevelt during the 1904 presidential campaign as the tool of large business corporations (“trusts”), this Harper’s Weekly cartoon shows him in control of the relationship, taming the ferocious trusts (depicted as lions) with his administration’s antitrust policy.
On February 19, 1902, Roosevelt’s Justice Department sued in federal court under the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) to break up J. P. Morgan’s railroad trust, the Northern Securities Company. It was the first of 45 antitrust suits filed by his administration, earning the Republican president the nickname, “Trustbuster.” In March 1904, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Northern Securities had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.

6. Sometimes cartoonists overdo, or exaggerate, the physical characteristics of people or things in order to make a point.
When you study a cartoon, look for any characteristics that seem overdone or overblown. (Facial characteristics and clothing are some of the most commonly exaggerated characteristics.) Then, try to decide what point the cartoonist was trying to make through exaggeration.

7. “The Last Straw" Topic: The Trusts and Fundraising Source: Puck Date: October 19, 1904 Cartoonist: Udo J. Keppler

8. An analogy is a comparison between two unlike things that share some characteristics. By comparing a complex issue or situation with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help their readers see it in a different light.
After you’ve studied a cartoon for a while, try to decide what the cartoon’s main analogy is. What two situations does the cartoon compare? Once you understand the main analogy, decide if this comparison makes the cartoonist’s point more clear to you.

9. “Putting the Screws on Him" Topic: The Trusts and Fundraising Source: Puck Date: November 2, 1904 Cartoonist: Udo J. Keppler
Complete HarpWeek Explanation: This cartoon is another attack by the Democratic Puck based on allegations that Republican National Committee Chairman George Cortelyou was pressuring large business corporations to donate to the campaign fund of President Theodore Roosevelt in return for favorable treatment. Here, Cortelyou squeezes money from the plump personification of “The Trusts,” as President Roosevelt, wearing his Rough Rider uniform, grins approvingly.
In fact, the GOP was far more successful than the Democratic Party in soliciting funds from wealthy businessmen, and raised a total amount of $2.2 million ($44.1 million in 2002 dollars) in However, no evidence of blackmail or other illegal activity was ever produced, and the Roosevelt administration later sued several of its largest campaign contributors for violations of antitrust laws.

10. Irony is the difference between the ways things are and the way things should be, or the way things are expected to be. Cartoonists often use irony to express their opinion on an issue.
When you look at a cartoon, see if you can find any irony in the situation the cartoon depicts. If you can, think about what point the irony might be intended to emphasize. Does the irony help the cartoonist express his or her opinion more effectively?

11. “With All His Faults, We Love Him - Still” Topic: Theodore Roosevelt: Pro and Con Source: Harper's Weekly Date: August 27, 1904, p Cartoonist: William Allen Rogers
Complete HarpWeek Explanation: This Harper’s Weekly cartoon parodies the usually Democratic New York Sun’s endorsement of President Roosevelt’s reelection, “Theodore! With all thy faults.” The Sun had been an advocate of labor in earlier decades, but as unions grew in number, the newspaper became more pro-business. In selecting Roosevelt over his Democratic challenger, Alton B. Parker, the Sun explained, “We prefer the impulsive candidate of the party of conservatism to the conservative candidate of the party which the business interests regard as permanently and dangerously impulsive.”
Here, President Roosevelt has set aside his previous active life in exchange for serious study of the U.S. Constitution, referring to criticism that his aggressive use of executive authority was unconstitutional. On the wall, pictures of his days as a big-game hunter and Spanish-American War hero are being covered by a spider’s web. In an 1899 speech, “The Strenuous Life,” Roosevelt praised vigor in the life of individuals and nations. The title was also used for his collection of commentaries published the next year, in which the speech was the first chapter. Here, “The Strenuous Life” is padlocked shut, indicative of the president’s effort to moderate his image in order to win reelection.

12. What issue is this political cartoon about?
Once you’ve identified the persuasive techniques that the cartoonist used, ask yourself:
What issue is this political cartoon about?
What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?
What other opinion can you imagine another person having on this issue?
Did you find this cartoon persuasive? Why or why not?
What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive?