Title
Lesson for Anti-Expansionists
Reference Number
JK9316.H38pt.11
Creator
Date
1899
Format
Publisher
Description
Shows Uncle Sam in progressive stages from childhood in 1783 to 1899, growing in number of states and acreage. The roots of political cartooning can be traced back at least as far as the 16th-century Protestant Reformation in Germany. In America, credit for the first such cartoon is widely given to Benjamin Franklin’s famous “Join or Die”—a depiction of a snake cut into pieces, meant to represent the fate of the American colonies should they not act together.
In the 19th century, American cartoonists turned their attention to Hawai`i, publishing a variety of opinions on such events as the overthrow of Hawaiian Monarchy and annexation of the Islands by the United States. Printed in 1899—that is, one year after the annexation of Hawai`i—“A Lesson for Anti-Expansionists” documents the rise of United States expansionism, depicting the U.S. as going from a small and innocent child to a bloated, cigar-smoking businessman … albeit one that every other nation “wants to be on friendly terms with.”
In the 19th century, American cartoonists turned their attention to Hawai`i, publishing a variety of opinions on such events as the overthrow of Hawaiian Monarchy and annexation of the Islands by the United States. Printed in 1899—that is, one year after the annexation of Hawai`i—“A Lesson for Anti-Expansionists” documents the rise of United States expansionism, depicting the U.S. as going from a small and innocent child to a bloated, cigar-smoking businessman … albeit one that every other nation “wants to be on friendly terms with.”
Is Part Of
Hawaiian Collection, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library
Page Location
27