America’s Earliest Political Cartoons (Not so much this one ^^^)

The Very First Political Cartoon Made in America:

From earlyamerica.com… “America’s first cartoon appeared in Ben Franklin's newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754. It appeared as part of an editorial by Franklin commenting on 'the present disunited state of the British Colonies.’ The drawing was based on the popular superstition that a snake that had been cut in two would come to life if the pieces were joined before sunset.”

Printed March 28th, 1770:

From the Library of Congress… “When Paul Revere first began selling his color prints of ‘The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street’ in Boston… he capitalized on the Boston Massacre, widely circulating an effective piece of anti-British propaganda… Notice how the British Grenadiers are shown standing in a straight line shooting their rifles in a regular volley, whereas… both sides were belligerent and riotous. Notice also that Revere's engraving shows a blue sky. Only a wisp of a moon suggests that the riot occurred after nine o'clock on a cold winter night. Notice too the absence of snow and ice on the street, while Crispus Attucks—a black man lying on the ground closest to the British soldiers—is shown to be white… Revere's print became the first powerful influence in forming an outspoken anti-British public opinion, one which the revolutionary leaders had almost lost hope of achieving”

Amos Doolittle: “The Looking Glass for 1787”

From the Library of Congress: “The process of state ratification of the United States Constitution was a divisive one. This satirical, 18th-century engraving touches on some of the major issues … on the eve of ratification. The two rival factions shown are the ‘Federals,’ supporters of the Constitution who represented the trading interests and were for tariffs on imports, and the ‘Antifederals,’ those committed to agrarian interests and more receptive to paper money issues. Although drawn to portray events in Connecticut politics, the concepts could be applied throughout the nation.”

Another early cartoon appeared in the Massachusetts Centinel on January 30, 1788….

August 7, 1788

From the Library of Congress … “The ratification of the Constitution by the eleventh pillar (New York) is celebrated in this newspaper editorial cartoon. The two remaining pillars North Carolina and Rhode Island did not ratify the Constitution until the new government went into operation and the Bill of Rights was adopted by Congress and sent to the states for approval in 1789. A pair of hands (most likely God's) are shown lifting the North Carolina column into an upright position alongside the others. The cartoon is titled "FEDERAL SUPERSTRUCTURE," and a caption read, "The Pillar of the Great Federal Edifice rises daily.”

1790: “A New Song”

From the George Washington University website… “The Residence Act passed in July 1790 required Congress to move to Philadelphia after its second session. Residents of New York City were furious and castigated Congress in newspaper articles and political cartoons which were hawked on the street. This cartoon shows Federal Hall on the shoulders of Sen. Robert Morris of Pennsylvania as he carries it to Philadelphia. Morris, a Philadelphian, was the focus of much of the citizenry's anger over their loss of status as the seat of federal government.”