The Political Cartoons of Slavery

American journalists used satirical drawings in newspapers, pamphlets, and posters to make points about political and social issues from the time of the American Revolution. These drawings, in turn, drew upon a common tradition of editorial sketching in Europe, which used humor and exaggerated images to comment on, or highlight, controversial opinions. Today's comics or funnies in the Sunday newspapers or in comic books derive largely from the political cartoons of the early Nineteenth century.

The technique of simplified drawings or sketches had long been used in the fine arts as a preliminary drawing to be executed in fresco, oil, mosaic, stained glass, or tapestry. These drawings were like a pattern or a guide to the final piece of art. The first such comic drawings as editorial statements probably happened in Germany during the Reformation, when the pattern drawings common in fine art were used as propaganda aimed at disparaging or attacking religious and political adversaries. Punch magazine popularized the comic form in England in the 1840s, and these images soon became commonplace in almost every American newspaper of the times. In a day and age when the most popular form of mass communication was the written and spoken word, satirical cartoons captured the attention of the people, even those who could not read or write.

The key element of the political cartoon is the use of caricature, which is a ridiculously oversimplified or stereotypical representation of a person or people or scenes. Usually, aspects of a person's looks or name or dress are distorted outrageously to draw attention to the opinions expressed in the cartoon's caption. Many of these drawings worked their way into the popular imagination and influenced how people viewed entire groups of people, such as African Americans, Native Americans, Irish immigrants, Catholics, rural folk, city people, lawyers, doctors, preachers, and even women.

The most powerful cartoons reflected popular stereotypes as well as reinforced them. In the political cartoons of slavery, images of blacks often presented commonly accepted ideas about the racial inferiority of all peoples of African descent. Even those cartoons opposed to slavery usually presented blacks in humiliating portraits or situations. To do otherwise would have deviated from the accepted character of a cartoon as comic exaggeration. Nevertheless, a careful look at the political cartoons in this collection reveals differences in style and intention as well as elements of change and continuity over time. Try to identify the differences between the ways blacks are presented compared to whites. Pay attention to language, dress, attitude, and values. Notice what remains the same and what changes depending on the political points made, the region, and the era, which extends from the 1830s through the Civil War and into the latter part of the Nineteenth century. Think about the meaning of the word satirical or satire. When does satire become cruel and vulgar or vicious rather than ridiculous or comic? And you might want to try your hand at drawing a political cartoon.

View the Politics of Slavery Collections.