Transcript 18th Century Political Cartoons

 Starter:
 Describe what actions Alexander Hamilton took to
stabilize the United States economy.
 (You may use your textbook)
18th Century Political
Cartoons
Analyzing history through media
Thomas Jefferson – 3rd president of the
United States is depicted on the left.
What does it mean?
This 1806 cartoon skewers both
Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis &
Clark Expedition. Jefferson is portrayed
as one of the newly discovered prairie
dogs. Stung by the hornet (Napoleon),
he's spewing gold coins at the feet of a
dancing Spaniard eager to palm off the
Floridas on the greedy Jefferson. Courtesy
Library of Congress.
Describe what is going on in this cartoon.
What is Amalgamation?
 Amalgamation |əˌmalgəˈmā sh ən|
 Noun:
 the action, process, or result of combining or
uniting : the threat of amalgamation with a
competitor | an amalgamation of two separate
companies.
Alien & Sedition Act (write down)
 The Alien and Sedition Act authorized the
President to arrest and deport immigrants
who criticized the federal government.
Because most immigrants supported the
Republicans, the Federalists made it
difficult for them to become citizens.
What is the cartoonist’s view of
Congress?
Fighting over the Alien & Sedition Act
 An actual fight between Representatives
Matthew Lyon of Vermont and Roger
Griswold of Connecticut. They exchange
insults and Lyon spits on Griswold and
they came to blows. Lyon was the first
person tried under the Alien and Sedition
Acts and was the first and only
Congressman elected while in jail.
What does this imply?
Personal attack on the President
 He was a member of both Continental
Congresses and he signed the Declaration
of Independence. He was the first Vice
President of the United States. His
detractors called him "His Rotundity"
because he was short and heavy. He was
also the 2nd president of the United
States.
Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings
Cartoon critical of Thomas Jefferson
 Thomas Jefferson as the rooster, courts a hen,
portrayed as Sally Hemings (his slave). Contemporary
political opponents of Jefferson sought to destroy his
presidency and his new political party with charges of
Jefferson’s promiscuous behavior and his ownership
of slaves. The rooster was also a symbol of
revolutionary France, which Jefferson was known to
admire and which, his critics believed, Jefferson
unduly favored.

Thomas Jefferson
 A political cartoon from 1801, which
depicts Thomas Jefferson joining forces
with Satan to take down the government.
Political mudslinging in US politics dates
as far back as 1800, when Thomas
Jefferson was attacked by ministers who
accused him of being an “infidel” and an
“unbeliever."
In-Class Assignment
 Individual work
 Create a timeline of major events from 1789 – 1812.
 Please include dates with your timeline.
 Can include people, places, events, court cases, etc.
 Your timeline is what you deem important during
this time period.