thomas nast cartoon essay
Eduardo Garcia
U.S. History 102
Mon/Wed: 8-920a.m.
9/11/2014
Paper 1
The Power of Cartoons
It was a dark and confusing time, towards the end of the Civil War. The Union would soon find out how unprepared they were once the Reconstruction Phase started. There were many issues that needed to be handled, but the biggest one would be getting the Whites to accept African-Americans as citizens with rights. It was 1865, post-civil war, when Thomas Nast started to contribute to the views of public opinion through the use of his vivid political cartoons. Nast constructed three influential cartoons that helped change the views of Americans. He attempts to sway public opinion by depicting his characters as either good or bad figures, portrays the injustice Northerners and African-Americans faced, and mocks the conducts of the Confederates. Nast’s cartoons were extremely powerful; they allowed viewers to understand the problems that the nation was facing at the time
Thomas Nast had biased views towards political figures, and it showed in his cartoons. He created dynamic cartoons that expressed his opinions of political figures. “In his eyes, those people whom he admired possessed no flaws. Conversely, those whom he opposed were, to him, capable of every conceivable villainy. As a result, his characterizations often were terribly unfair, gross distortions of reality…”1 Nast despised corrupt politicians, so he was not hesitant to exercise his freedom of the press to expose those corrupted officials. In his cartoon, The Contrast of Suffering-Andersonville and Fortress Monroe, he displays the horrors that were conducted behind the walls of Andersonville Prison. The cartoon shows a group of Union soldiers that are suffering, malnourished and on the verge of dying. This detailed cartoon explains how evil the Confederates’ intentions were; how they showed no mercy to those who opposed them. Looking at the bottom half of the cartoon, Nast shows Fort Monroe under the control of the
U.S. History 102
Mon/Wed: 8-920a.m.
9/11/2014
Paper 1
The Power of Cartoons
It was a dark and confusing time, towards the end of the Civil War. The Union would soon find out how unprepared they were once the Reconstruction Phase started. There were many issues that needed to be handled, but the biggest one would be getting the Whites to accept African-Americans as citizens with rights. It was 1865, post-civil war, when Thomas Nast started to contribute to the views of public opinion through the use of his vivid political cartoons. Nast constructed three influential cartoons that helped change the views of Americans. He attempts to sway public opinion by depicting his characters as either good or bad figures, portrays the injustice Northerners and African-Americans faced, and mocks the conducts of the Confederates. Nast’s cartoons were extremely powerful; they allowed viewers to understand the problems that the nation was facing at the time
Thomas Nast had biased views towards political figures, and it showed in his cartoons. He created dynamic cartoons that expressed his opinions of political figures. “In his eyes, those people whom he admired possessed no flaws. Conversely, those whom he opposed were, to him, capable of every conceivable villainy. As a result, his characterizations often were terribly unfair, gross distortions of reality…”1 Nast despised corrupt politicians, so he was not hesitant to exercise his freedom of the press to expose those corrupted officials. In his cartoon, The Contrast of Suffering-Andersonville and Fortress Monroe, he displays the horrors that were conducted behind the walls of Andersonville Prison. The cartoon shows a group of Union soldiers that are suffering, malnourished and on the verge of dying. This detailed cartoon explains how evil the Confederates’ intentions were; how they showed no mercy to those who opposed them. Looking at the bottom half of the cartoon, Nast shows Fort Monroe under the control of the