Question

1. Which document is being revised by the men in this cartoon? (1 point) 2. What event is this cartoon being drawn in response to? (1 point) 3. Who are the men who are shown editing the document and how would you describe their emotions? (3 points) 4. In the cartoon, who is the shadow/ghost watching this happen and how would you describe his emotion? (1 point) 5. Is the cartoonist for or against the U.S. acquiring the Philippines? Explain how you arrived at this conclusion. (2 points) 6. When considering both political cartoon #1 and political cartoon #2, what does this tell you about American imperialism following the Spanish-American War? (1 point)

Answer 1

1. The document which is being revised in the cartoon is The Declaration of Independence. This document was created when America wanted to secede from its 'mother country,' Britain. It states that 'all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights,' however, it took many years before these rules were truly implemented.

2. The cartoon has been drawn as a reaction to the Spanish-American War and the acquisition of the Philippines for $20 million. America bought the Philippines from Spain against their will, which is why the author has changed the words of the Declaration.

3. One of the men is Theodore Roosevelt; the other one is I believe President McKinley, and I'm not sure about the third man. They are laughing at their creation, obviously happy and satisfied about it. They aren't really thinking about the country or the people they have conquered, but rather only about their personal profit.

4. The shadow watching this is George Washington, the first President of the USA. He is upset and disappointed at his creation and the people who came after him because this is not what he wanted America to become. People fighting over territory/lack of independence/slavery was not his initial vision.

5. The author is obviously against the US acquisition of the Philippines. He believes that this will take away all of the Filipino freedoms, especially given that they just went from being possessed by one superpower to another, and for such a ridiculous price.

6. Both cartoons tell me that America has become greedy for power and new territories and is not likely to stop any time soon. Although today its expansionist ideology has made a pause, its power is still very much present all over the world, and not necessarily in a good way.