1. Political Cartoons

2. A Political Cartoon is…
an editorial using pictures rather than words to express the author’s opinions
usually related to a current event or issue
a way of expressing one’s feelings about politics or government policies using humor and art

3. Steps for interpreting a political cartoon:
1. Look for any symbols that hold a specific meaning or stand for something else (ex.: donkeys=democrats and elephants = republicans in the U.S.)
2. Try to figure out what current or historical issue the cartoon relates to based on the picture shown
3. Decide upon the author/artist’s intended meaning.

4. The first printed political cartoon
Picture by Ben Franklin
Snake is a symbol…
Refers to the colonies needing to unite in order to be powerful

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