Tag: political cartoon

03/21/11

360 Degrees of Power


(Carlisle in the Atlanta Constitution)

The Artist was saying by the next voting session all of congress would be ran by the democrats. The artist wanted to illuminate that because of Republicans standing in the way of the New Deal they will all be voted out by the public.  The artist depicted this by showing the “Republican Obstruction” being kicked out the way my by the public in order to make way for “Roosevelt Reorganizational Power” as the Democratic Congress ushers the bulldozer along the way. The Bulldozer is on a path to pave the government cost rearing out of control.  This cartoon was drawn at the time of a huge expansion of the role of the Government.

03/21/11

Don’t worry Uncle Sam, Santa will help!

Washington Post, 1933 by Clifford K. Berryman

The artist was trying to convey the message that FDR wanted to get many different things done in a short period of time.  He also leans toward the idea that it isn’t possible to get such a massive amount of relief and legislation passed that quickly. In order for it to be done you would need “magic” or some other worldly force.  This is shown by the iconic image of a child putting out a stocking over the fireplace at Christmas in the hopes for some treat to be delivered by Santa overnight.  On the stockings themselves, are many different agencies that FDR created to provide jobs, such as the: CCC, TVA, FCA, TWA etc.  It can be interpreted that these programs were the primary ideas to get America back on its feet.  The “gifts” that would be received would hopefully make everything return to normal, and get America back to its former glory. FDR is the child and he seems to be reassuring “Uncle Sam” that everything will be okay in the end because his New Deal will work.

03/20/11

The New Deal to the Rescue!

Library of Congress (1934)

In this political cartoon, there are three important figures: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Congress, and Uncle Sam. Each of them assumes a role in the cartoon, with FDR as the doctor, Congress as the caretaker, and Uncle Sam as the patient. Uncle Sam represents a sickly America. FDR is the doctor, who has the responsibility to cure or relieve the symptoms of the depression that struck America and its people.  FDR gives Uncle Sam many different kinds of “medicine,” including programs like the National Industry Recovery Act, the Civil Works Administration, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act. In addition, FDR is carrying a bag of New Deal “remedies,” which can provide even more relief for America. FDR reassures Congress that the “remedies” do not necessarily guarantee success and changes can be made.

At the time, FDR approved and passed many legislations, in hopes to fix America. Many people were doubting whether these programs would actually help or even make things worst. This political cartoon supports FDR and his policies and puts the New Deal in a positive light. This is because Uncle Sam is shown to be in good spirits, after trying the New Deal medicines. Additionally, the cartoon depicts FDR as a man, who is understanding because he knows that the programs might not work and has a bag of solutions prepared.

03/18/11

A New Deal means a new hand.

This political cartoon regarding Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal was published in March of 1933. The source does not indicate who the artist is, but his signature is left on the cartoon. This political cartoon is called “hope.” The cartoon shows how nobody really knew what kind of impact FDR’s New Deal would have on the nation – it was like dealing out a deck of cards, you cannot be sure what you’re going to get out of it. Many felt similarly with the programs FDR included in the New Deal. These programs were designed to boost the economy and help its people. However the dire state that the economy was in made people skeptical on whether or not these programs would really work.

03/16/11

New Deal: Alphabet Agencies

Political cartoon of FDR and Albert Einstein. Photo courtesy of the Basil O'Connor Collection

During the Great Depression President Roosevelt quickly responded to this economic crisis by establishing many government programs in the New Deal also known as the Alphabet Soup. Many of these programs addressed the country’s industrial, agriculture and employment issues. The cartoon shown above depicts FDR showing Einstein a list of agencies from the New Deal. Due to the poor print I couldn’t see Einstein’s statement. However I am assuming that the artist is trying to make his point about how there’s too many new programs to the New Deal and there’s no guarantee that these programs would solve the economic problem. Among these programs the National Recovery Administration (NRA) is shown in bold. I think the artist is probably trying to emphasize the fact that many people hoped that NRA would help the economy in which businesses were to set rules such as production quotas, prices, wages, and hours. However the NRA program was a complete failure.