This Thomas Nast cartoon appeared during the presidential election campaign of 1868.
Explanation:
The contest pitted Nast’s hero, General Ulysses S. Grant, the Republican candidate, against former New York Governor Horatio Seymour, the Democratic nominee. This cartoon presents one of Nast’s continual themes: that the Democratic party suppresses the rights and threatens the safety of black Americans. The caption lets the viewer know that he is specifically criticizing the Democratic party’s opposition to Reconstruction legislation. The three standing figures represent what the cartoonist considers to be the three wings of the Democratic party. Nast incorporates into the picture several symbols and stereotypes that he uses frequently.
