presidential cartoons 1901-1945 roosevelt to roosevelt

Presidential Cartoons

1901-1945

Roosevelt to

Roosevelt

The Many Roles of Teddy

This cartoon, published during Roosevelt’s first term, expresses the many roles that Roosevelt could juggle. By showing Roosevelt as a statesman, a rough rider, an author, an African hunter, Napoleon, and a scholar, it conveyed the message that he was a very qualified man. Americans had a president that could handle any problem that they faced. This also symbolizes that he could bring about change in America.

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Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1908

“The Lion Tamer”

In this 1904 cartoon, Roosevelt is shown as the “Great Lion tamer” taming all the big businesses with their corrupt and unfair trusts as a part of his trust-busting policies. The lions represent the large corporations like Northern Securities Company that were hounded on during Roosevelt’s presidency. Northern Securities Company was dissolved in 1904.

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More Trust-busting

This cartoon is another satire on Roosevelt’s trust-busting but here it is related to his hobby of hunting. While he destroyed some trusts like the one he has shot at his foot, he has decided to keep the good trusts in shackles to monitor their procedures. The “good trusts” bear is tied to his wrist.


“The Big Stick”

As a part of his “big stick diplomacy” and his Roosevelt Corollary, Theodore Roosevelt declared that he would “walk softly and carry a big stick” when dealing with foreign policy in the Caribbean. Here he is shown not walking but sailing in a boat down to Panama carrying his infamous “big stick” to protect the Caribbean countries from imperializing European countries and instability. This cartoon proves to satirize the diplomacy situation.


“A Nauseating Job but it Must

be Done”

As a new wave of muck-raking brought the horrifying truths about American life, Roosevelt made it his priority to purge Americans of the injustices that they had come to accept. One example took place in the Meat Industry. After Upton Sinclair published his exposé on the unfair working conditions and wages of American laborers, the American public actually responded with concern over the alarming procedures of the meat packing industry. Here Roosevelt is shown with his “muck-rake” trying to investigate and purify the meat scandal. This is symbolic of his Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act which resulted from this scandal.


“A New Task for the Rough Rider”

This cartoon published after the national anthracite coal strike in 1902 humorously depicts Roosevelt’s settlement of the issue. The strike, which was threatening the well-being of American people during the 1902 winter, had to be quickly settled by the former Rough Rider. Here, Roosevelt is shown taking initiative by dragging a bolder labeled “Threatened Coal Strike” away from a town labeled “the Consumers.” This drawing does justice to Roosevelt’s authoritative approach to the strike.

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We Love Teddy

This cartoon expresses the love of the American people for Theodore Roosevelt. Although he had some shortcomings, especially pertaining to the knowledge of American History, he proved to be a beneficial president to the U.S. during his presidency and later years. Here, Roosevelt is shown studying the U.S. Constitution with at perplexed look on his face. Also in his study is a book titled “The Stalwart’s Life,” suggesting that he was opposed to and unsure of corruption.


“Do You Think You Could Fly Bill?”

As the 1908 presidential election approached, Theodore Roosevelt announced that he would not be running for a third term, putting his trust in William H. Taft to achieve more progressive reforms. Here, Roosevelt is shown taking off from “the presidenski” with his big stick. He looks down to Taft who is below and asks him if he “could fly.” This cartoons represents Roosevelt’s belief that Taft had the potential to be the next president.


“Padding the Big Stick”

As Taft took the presidency in 1908, he took a more conservative stance on progressive movements than Roosevelt. Here, Taft is shown “padding the (Roosevelt’s) big stick” which he used to show his influence in foreign affairs. “Bill” wraps the stick with conservative padding that he thinks will be beneficial to American Affairs and the economy.

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William Howard Taft 1908-1912

“Uncle Sam- ‘Bill, You’d Look So Much Better in Your Own

Clothes’”

As Roosevelt pushed William H. Taft into the presidency, many believed that Taft was too heavily influenced by Roosevelt’s beliefs. It seemed as if Taft didn’t possess any of his own original ideas. In this cartoon, Uncle Sam is commenting on Taft’s decision to wear Roosevelt’s clothes which symbolize Roosevelt’s policies. Uncle Sam tells Taft that he would look much better in his own clothes, meaning that he should run the U.S. with his own agenda. This picture represents the feeling of many Americans during this time.

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Taft vs. Teddy

Roosevelt’s desire to influence and mentor President Taft following his own presidency was quickly shot down as the Taft developed his own agenda. Roosevelt became disappointed as his ally in politics became distant and no longer followed his own footsteps. This cartoon proves to represent their distance and the creation of their rivalry that spurred Roosevelt to run for presidency in 1912 under the Bull-Moose Party. This progressive party was opposed to Taft’s conservative polices.

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http://history.searchbeat.com/woodrowwilson.htm

Taft’s Foreign Policy

This cartoon depicts the domestic policies of Taft as he picked apart certain Republican traditions and made new policies. Here, Taft is busily sawing away a log labeled “republican policies” in a front yard, referring to the front yard where Taft accepted his party’s nomination to the presidency. The log is cut into the different policies of Taft which include the Postal Savings system, railroad regulation, business prosperity, and more. These policies broke away from traditional Republican perogatives.

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Woodrow Wilson 1912-1916

“Miss Democracy”

With the 1912 election and Woodrow Wilson as president, the Democrats realized their victory. This cartoon represents their surprise over this success with a picture of “Miss Democracy” holding her trophies from the election: the white house, the house, and the senate. Her comment on receiving the three is : “Lan sakes, what’ll I do with ‘em?” This suggests that the Democratic party was overwhelmed with their new authority after not holding the majority in any major branches in quite a while. This is somewhat derogatory toward the democratic party because it conveys the message that the Democratic party is clueless.

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Bull Moose Party

During the 1912 election, both the Democratic and the Republican party supported the progressives’ Bull Moose Party as suggested by this cartoon. Here Wilson as well as his political opponent Hughes hold oats for the “Bull Moose” animal. This suggests that they both wanted to win him over and make the Party their own in order to win the election. This desire to win the support of the Bull Moose Party most likely came from the popular support that Progressivism accumulated. They believed that if the Progressives supported them, then the majority of the people would support them as well.


“Woodrow on Toast”

This cartoon is representative of Wilson’s intervention and dealing of the Mexican Revolution in 1913. In order to promote Democracy in Mexico, he had to point a scornful finger to the political chaos in the country. This is shown in the drawing as Wilson talks to Mexico in a threatening tone, comparing this situation to the European situation with the Turks. He threatens to treat Mexico in the same terrorizing way that Europe dealt with the Turks. Although Mexico did not allow total American intervention, Wilson’s suggestions helped to put a good leader into power.


“Reasonable Program of National Defense”

In 1915 as the U.S. Intervention into World War I drew near, Woodrow Wilson was faced with the organization of National Defense, a system that he had not needed to bother with before. Thi cartoon exaggerate this issue as it shows Wilson looking up and studying systems of National Defense. However, this suggests that Wilson had little knowlege of this new idea as it shows him researching many books.

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Wilson’s Economic Policy

During Wilson’s presidency, the U.S. economy was exceptionally prosperous. Wilson’s Federal Reserve System, federal income tax, and anti-trust laws helped to rake in the money for the American government which was extremely beneficial during the war. Here, Wilson is illustrated pumping money from the “business prosperity pump,” indicating that his tight economic polices took away from American businesses. Also, Wilson is pumping the prosperity into buckets labeled “anti-trust legislation,” “tarriff legislation,” and “currency legislation.” These were the three significant areas of his economic program. www.schools-wikipedia.org

Child Labor

Under the Keating-Owen Act of 1916, child labor was dramatically curtailed, causing great American opposition. This opposition is depicted in the cartoon shown here. Wilson is surrounded by a number of tiresome-looking children who are persuading him to allow them to work. The captions say, “Mr. President, we don’t want anything. We just want to grow up.” Obviously, this cartoon is ironic in the fact that children did not push for child labor; their parents were actually behind it. In 1918, however, the Act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.


Treaty of Versailles

In this cartoon, published after the Versailles Treaty, the Big Four are leaving the meeting at Versailles. On the settlement the treaty Clemenceau laments, “Curious, I seem to hear a child weeping.” Also drawn in the cartoon is a child labeled “1940’s class” which suggests that Clemeceau predicts trouble in foreign affairs for the 1940s generation. This comment is astonishing considering the fact that World War II did infact begin in the fourties because of the ineffective settlements in the Versailles Treaty.

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“Moral Suasion”

After Woodrow Wilson met at the Versailles conference, he returned to the U.S. in hopes that they would ratify the Versailles treaty which was heavily influenced by his Fourteen Points. The Americans however, especially the Republicans, felt left out of the settlement altogether and opposed several parts of the treaty including Article X and the involvement in a League of Nations. In this cartoon, the American opposition to the League of Nations is depicted. A fierce snake labeled “International Strife” is beginning to attack an innocent bunny labeled “League of Nations.” This is representative of the way Americans attacked Wilson’s personal creation.

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Warren G. Harding 1920-1923

One of the most memorable aspects of Harding’s administration was infamous Tea Pot Dome Scandal. In this scandal Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall was convicted of accepting bribes from an oil company near Teapot Dome, Wyoming for the leasing of land. The profits of th oil company would skyrocket from this deal. This cartoon illustrates the scandal by showing Albert Fall resting by a giant teapot that is spurting out loads of money. This signifies the corruption in the scandal that inflicted Harding’s presidency. www.picturehistory.com

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“The Modern Devil Fish”

During Warren G. Harding’s presidency, one hot button issue was prohibition. The Prohibition Party made significant gains in the early twenties that lead to the illegalization of alcohol. This cartoon exemplifies this issue as alcohol is related to an octopus with many arms or effects. The arms read “political corruption,” “partnership with thieves,” “gambling,” “traffic in girls,” and many more disastrous effects of drinking. Here, the prohibition party is putting drinking to a halt with the slaughtering of the octopus.

Death of Harding

Unfortunately in August of 1923, Warren G. Harding died of a heart attack, leaving Calvin Coolidge to manage the presidency. This cartoon illustrates the transition of authority from Harding to Coolidge as the ghost of Harding stands over Coolidge. The ghost is giving Coolidge his right to be president and to make his own history. Although the death of the president was quite saddening, the American people were quite pleased with their new leader.

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Calvin Coolidge 1923-1928

When Calvin Coolidge assumed the presidency in 1923, he had to set his own political agenda. He had a desire to make his mark on history. In this cartoon, Coolidge is drawn pondering platforms on which to base the country. Behind him are portraits of some great presidents that left their legacies in the past, encouraging and intimidating Coolidge to create a legacy as great as theirs.

www.picturehistory.com

Silent Cal’s Platform

Known as Silent Cal, Calvin Coolidge is shown here in this cartoon declaring his political platform with a megaphone so that he might be heard. The fact that Coolidge was rather quiet is quite exaggerated in this image as he talks to the Republican elephant with a megaphone. Also, Coolidge’s desire to formulate a respectable agenda prior to the Harding administration scandals was a top priority of his as shown in the cartoon. The platform called for a temporary chairman, a permanent chairman, and a running mate.


The Radio

As President Coolidge held the office during the Roaring Twenties, he was faced with the introduction of new inventions into American life. One such invention was the radio. This cartoon suggests Coolidge’s approval but skepticism about the invention of the radio in the Twenties. Coolidge’s remark is: “Wonderful invention but Costly.” While this suggests his taste for new technology, it also suggests his penny-pinching methods that marked his presidency.


“Sitting Tight” Following President Harding’s scandalous administration, President Coolidge found himself having to helplessly defend the Republican Party as the Democrats and Progressives held them in suspicion. Here President Coolidge is drawn upon his party’s mascot, defending the party while spears of accusations are being thrown at it. Some of the spears read: “scandal,” “suspicion,” “senate opposition,” “investigation,” and “rival candidates.” These were all the reasons for the Republicans to be fearing their prosperity in government. Coolidge did a fine job of defending and staying loyal to the Republican Party.


“Getting Awful Crowded”

In 1924, the prospect of a new president came up in the election. Only having served one year, Coolidge was eager to reclaim the presidency in 1924. He ran under the slogan: “Keep Cool” with the Republican party. This cartoon is representative of the Democratic party nominations for the election. Each hat represent a different nomination. The accumulation of hats, signifying the division of the Democrats, led to their defeat in the election. This is exemplified by the worried look on the Democratic donkey’s face and his expression: “Getting’ awful crowded.” Americans did indeed “Keep Cool.”

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Herbert Hoover 1928-1932

Following his election to office in 1928, President Hoover expressed his belief in limited business regulation. He promised the American citizens “business confidence” as illustrated in this cartoon. Hoover is the citizens’ Santa Clause, bringing them great gifts like the idea of business confidence. This idea was soon disregarded as the economy took a severe turn in 1929. Business regulation had to be reinforced.


“Who Says I have no Cause for Thanksgiving?”

Prior to the Great Depression, President Hoover adequately addressed and managed the nation’s pressing problems with ease and success. However, this cartoon expresses Hoover’s reluctance to look further into the future of American prosperity. A box labeled “Not to be opened till March 4” shields the most significant problem that Hoover is to face. While Hoover is giving thanks now, he will soon regret this with the arrival of the Great Depression. www.picturehistory.com

“Awful Job to Quiet Anything Around Here”

This cartoon satirizes the reaction and status of President Hoover following the Great Depression. He is compared to an old maid taking care of her sickly babies, worn out and hopeless. The babies, referring to America’s strife, are labeled “business depression,” “tarriff,” and “drought damage.” The donkey that walks nearby expresses the ineffectualness and unorigianality of Democratic party as they were faced with the Depression. By the end of Hoover’s term, Americans were unhappy at Hoover’s failure to cure the American economy. www.picturehistory.com

“Stock Market Speculation”

In the haste to correct the American economy, President Hoover tried to highlight and put influence upon the American businesses so that propserity might be reachieved. This cartoon is representative of that with Roosevelt creating a detour from “Speculation Street” down to “Business Boulevard.” If Americans were inspired to invest in businesses again, then the Great Depression would be dissolved.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt 1932-1945

As the U.S. approached World War II, they became aware that their isolationist stance would not fulfill the needs of the country any longer. The U.S. was becoming isolated in its Isolationist policy. In the 1940 election, Americans took that to mind as they reelected FDR for a third term. They needed a president that would protect other countries from rising socialist and fascist movements. This cartoon satirizes the scenario with a isolationist advocated looking desparatley for something new.


“Breaking Down Economic Isolation”

In order to speed up the end of the Great Depression and to create an extensive global market, Roosevelt encouraged the European countries in the Thirties and Fourties to break down the barriers between them that separated their economies. He persuaded the Europeans that this policy would be a mutual benefit if achieved. Here, Roosevelt is yelling across a yard to several countries behind fences, or barriers, persuading them to tear them down to create “a Big Yard!” Instead, this created allies in the struggle of the World War II. www.picturehistory.com

“Don’t Crush Them”

This cartoon is representative of the Farm Relief Bill passes during FDR’s presidency. This bill would provide relief for farmers while placing the financial burden on the business men, taxpayers, and traditional American consumers. Here, Roosevelt is driving a steam roller, “Farm Relief Bill,” that is prepared to wipe out American aspects like the business men, taxpayers, American principles, consumers and more. This bill is empowered by the American farmer as he tell the president to “ Let her Go, Mr. President.” The AAA formed from this Act was actually found unconstitutional in 1935.


“Putting the Real Roosevelt Sock Into It”

This cartoon satirizes Roosevelt’s challenge to combat and regulate the Great Depression in America. In the drawing, Uncle Sam is persuading Roosevelt to use his cousin Theodore’s big stick when dealing with the Depression in order to leave a great impact. This is described as “putting the Roosevelt sock into it.” However, FDR didn’t need Uncle Sam to persuade him; he had the country turned around with his many beneficial agencies and programs by the end of his nearly 4 term presidency.


“Get All the Practice You Can , Franklin”

In another attempt to symbolize Roosevelt’s handling of the Great Depression, this cartoon illustrates FDR as a fisher trying to catch and conquer the National Problems which exist as a great fish. Before he can manage to conquer the large fish, or the largest problems in America, he must practice on smaller fish. This is symbolic of the creation of Roosevelt’s many bureaucracies to provide aid to the American people.


“Everybody’s in the New Deal”

In order to inspire the hearts and minds of the American people, Roosevelt broadcasted speeches on the radio to reassure them of the eventual end of the Great Depression. He invigorated them with hope, optimism, and cooperation, important elements in the road to recovery. These broadcasts persuaded Americans that they were all included in this revolution that came to be called the “New Deal.” Eventually with the support of these broadcasts, Americans were able to reshape the economy.


“Look Who’s Here Again”

This cartoon represents the Isolationists’ reaction to the bombing at Pearl Harbor. They felt as if President Roosevelt brought this upon them by violating the Neutrality Act and cooperating with Great Britain. Here, two Isolationists declare their disapproval of FDR and blame him for all of the foreign failures. However not all Americans felt this way. Many supported Roosevelt’s decision to break from Neutrality and defend the U.S. beliefs.


“Check”

This cartoon is representative of the turning point in war where the Americans gained dominance in the Pacific Front against Japan. Here, this satire of the War shows FDR moving his “MAC”arthur piece to “check” the Japanese “Tojo.” After this significant event in war, the Japanese knew that they had been defeated by the powerful American fleet. Douglas McArthur is accredited to the success of the American fleet in the pacific with his “island-hopping” strategies. After the Battles of Midway and Okinawaw, the Americans were sure of victory. www.picturehistory.com

presidential cartoons 1901-1945 roosevelt to roosevelt

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