Description: This cartoon shows the Democratic presidential candidate in 1880, General Winfield Scott Hancock, inspecting a selection of exhibits demonstrating the association of the Democrats with the Southern cause in the recent Civil War. Looking at a donkey, the traditional symbol of the Democratic party, made up of two hindquarters sewn together, Hancock exclaims: "Great Scott! Am I to be head of that?" The donkey symbolizes the difficulty the Democrats had in re-defining themselves as a national party after the Civil War. Other shameful "curiosities" in the "shop" include an Andersonville skeleton, the Ku Klux Klan, a slave-tracking bloodhound, a whipping post, John Wilkes Booth's pistol and more. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: CA11_P143
Subjects: United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Reconstruction Era; Presidential campaigns; Democratic Party; Confederate States of America; Political cartoons;
 

Description: This cartoon shows William McKinley, presidential candidate of the Republican Party in 1896, as a nursemaid torn between two charges. The child on the floor, which he says he actually loves best, is labeled "High Protection," as a reference to McKinley's goal of enacting high tariffs to protect American manufacturing. On his lap sits a baby identified as "Gold Standard." During his time in the House of Representatives, McKinley had focused on the tariff issue. However, the election of 1896 was focused on the question of the gold standard. The Republicans, led by McKinley, insisted that the national economy depended upon the currency remaining tied to the gold standard; that is, that the paper money be entirely backed by gold held by the federal government. The Democrats, and their candidate William Jennings Bryan, advocated a loosening of this standard by backing the currency with both gold and silver. McKinley received much of his financial backing from Republicans determined to maintain the gold standard, and this thus became the key issue he had to address during the campaign. McKinley won the presidency in 1896 and again in 1900, and served until he was assassinated in 1901. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: CA7_P15
Subjects: McKinley, William, 1843-1901; Political cartoons; Political culture--Ohio--History; Presidents--United States; Economic issues
 

Description: In this editorial cartoon, William McKinley is shown as torn between the two forces in the 1896 controversy over the gold standard. McKinley, dressed as Napoleon, is trying to ride his hobby horse of "High Protection," but is being pulled to either side by a "gold bug" and a "silverite." High protection is a reference to McKinley's desire to enact a high tariff on foreign imports to protect American manufacturing. During his time in the House of Representatives, McKinley had focused on the tariff issue. However, the election of 1896 was focused on the question of the gold standard. The Republicans, McKinley's party, insisted that the national economy depended upon the currency remaining tied to the gold standard; that is, that the paper money be entirely backed by gold held by the federal government. The Democrats, and their candidate William Jennings Bryan, advocated a loosening of this standard by backing the currency with both gold and silver. McKinley won the presidency in 1896 and again in 1900, and served until he was assassinated in 1901. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: CA7_P20
Subjects: McKinley, William, 1843-1901; Political cartoons; Political culture--Ohio--History; Presidents--United States; Economic issues
 

Description: Booklet of illustrated rhymes drawn by cartoonist Frederick B. Opper and published by William Randolph Hearst, 1902. These satirical cartoons and rhymes criticized corporate trusts, or monopolies, which were often used by large companies to consolidate power and crush competition. Because of their association with anti-competitive practices, trusts were a politicized issue beginning in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Several presidents are associated with "trust-busting," including William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Frederick Opper was a well-known American newspaper cartoonist for more than sixty years. He was born on January 2, 1857, in Madison, Ohio, the son of Austrian immigrants. At the age of fourteen, Opper began drawing cartoons for the Madison Gazette, and in 1877, he accepted a position as staff artist with a magazine called Wild Oats. He spent several years at Wild Oats while also doing freelance work for several other magazines and newspapers. He then spent eighteen years working for Puck Magazine before becoming a cartoonist on the staff of the New York Evening Journal. He was one of the United States' leading cartoonists in the late 1800s and the early 1900s, and created memorable cartoon characters including "Alphonse and Gaston," "Maud, the Kicking Mule," and "Happy Hooligan," his best-known cartoon series. Opper continued to draw until 1932, when vision problems forced him to retire. He died on August 28, 1937. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: PABox683_10_001
Subjects: Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937; Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951; Political cartoons; Editorial cartoons; Industrialists--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Business;
Places: Madison (Ohio); Lake County (Ohio)
 

Description: Political cartoon from "Puck Magazine" featuring James A. Garfield as a bride marrying Uncle Sam. The caption reads, "Forbidding the Banns. The Bride (Garfield):- `But it was such a little one!'" A man labelled "Democratic N.C." (National Convention) is rushing to the altar with an infant labelled "Credit Mobilier." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS_0566
Subjects: Ohio Government; Presidents and Politics; Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881; Political primaries; Presidential elections--United States--1880; Crédit Mobilier scandal; Political cartoons
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio);
 

Description: A political cartoon commenting on the senate race between John Gilligan and William Saxbe, from the Toledo Blade ca. 1968. In 1968, Saxbe defeated Gilligan as the U.S. Senator from Ohio, and later became the U.S. Attorney General after the Watergate Scandal. John Gilligan started his political career in 1953 when he campaigned and won a seat in the Cincinnati City Council. Later, Gilligan ran for the United States House of Representatives and served for one term. However, he was not re-elected and suffered two more political defeats in running for the United States Senate. Despite these failed campaigns, Gilligan won the office of Governor of Ohio in 1971. He served as governor until 1975. His term as governor is remembered for several successes, the beginning of the state lottery, the graduated state income tax, the voting age lowered to eighteen, and an improved transportation infrastructure. After his term, Gilligan focused his political efforts towards international development and also taught at the collegiate level. Influenced by her father's political career and ambitions, Kathleen Gilligan served as governor of Kansas from 2003 until 2009. Under President Barack Obama, she was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS388AV_B05_011
Subjects: Gilligan, John Joyce, 1921-; Saxbe, William Bart, 1916-2010; Political cartoons; Political campaigns; United States. Congress. Senate
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated August 11, 1880, this political cartoon titled "The Republican Presidential Candidate Now On View" was published in "Puck" magazine, a humor magazine published from 1871-1918 that was famous for its colorful cartoons. This drawing shows Charles A. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War under President Grant and editor and co-owner of democratic magazine "The Sun," gesturing to a 'The Sun Microscope' with a glass plate of Republican presidential candidate James A. Garfield's record under scrutiny by an impish looking creature. To the left are glass plates for U.S. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes, both from Ohio. Dana holds a magnified view of what the creature sees through the microscope, three malevolent microbes surrounded by damning words such as bribery, fraud, and perjury. Behind the stage is a crowd of men looking aghast and the contents of Garfield's record. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: CA4_OHS4200
Subjects: Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881; Political cartoons; Political culture--Ohio--History; Presidential candidates; Presidential elections--1880-1890;
 

Description: Illustration drawn by political cartoonist Thomas Nash for Harper's Weekly, titled "Compromise with the South--Dedicated to the Chicago Convention," September 3, 1864. This cartoon is meant as a criticism of the "Peace Democrats" who took part in the the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August of 1864, led in part by Clement Vallandigham of Ohio. Known as "Copperheads," this segment of the Democratic Party saw the poor performance of Union troops against the Confederacy as reason to negotiate with the South, thereby rendering the sacrifices of Union soldiers in vain. A defeated Union soldier is pictured shaking hands with Jefferson Davis, Confederate President, as Columbia (representing the United States) weeps and an African American family is returned to slavery. Shortly after the Chicago Convention, the tide turned significantly in favor of the Union forces. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: 051_H236_572_compromise
Subjects: Ohio--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; Confederate States of America; Vallandigham, Clement L. (Clement Laird), 1820-1871; Political cartoons;
Places: Chicago (Illinois);
 

Description: This is a political cartoon illustrating the adoption of an amendment to the Ohio Constitution for women's suffrage by the Ohio Constitutional Convention in 1912. Ohio voters defeated the amendment. On June 16, 1919 Ohio became the fifth state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01151
Subjects: Women--Suffrage; Multicultural Ohio--Ohio Women; Political cartoons
 

Description: This political cartoon of President Lyndon B. Johnson compares the determination of Johnson to get a Civil Rights Bill passed in Congress to General Ulysses S. Grant's efforts to win the Civil War. President Johnson continued President Kennedy's work on civil rights legislation after his assassination. The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination illegal in public places such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, and also required employers to provide equal employment opportunities. Projects involving federal funds could now be cut off if there was evidence of discrimination based on color, race or national origin. The Civil Rights Act also attempted to deal with the problem of African Americans being denied the vote in the Deep South. The legislation stated that uniform standards must prevail for establishing the right to vote. Schooling to sixth grade constituted legal proof of literacy and the attorney general was given power to initiate legal action in any area where he found a pattern of resistance to the law. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS656
Subjects: Presidents--United States; Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century; Political cartoons; Legislation;
 

Description: 1880 political cartoon for "Puck Magazine" titled "The Political Handicap--Who Will Ride the Democratic Entry?" In this cartoon, Republican candidate James A. Garfield is depicted as a jockey with the weight of Arthur and Credit Mobilier on his back against the Democratic Party hopefuls. Included in this latter group are Winfield S. Hancock, who won the 1880 Democratic primary, as well as Thomas A. Hendricks, Allen G. Thurman, Thomas F. Bayard, Samuel J. Tilden, and Samuel J. Randall. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS_0565
Subjects: Ohio Government; Presidents and Politics; Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881; Political primaries; Presidential elections--United States--1880; Political cartoons
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio);
 

Description: This image is a black-and-white reproduction of "The Crown Prince," a political cartoon that graced the cover of "Puck" magazine (v. 60, no. 1535, August 1, 1906). The original illustration, in vibrant color, shows President Theodore Roosevelt (1831-1878) garbed in royal robes and holding on his left shoulder a chubby, pint-sized William Howard Taft (1857-1930) of Ohio, his political "heir apparent." Taft wears a tiny crown and a medallion emblazoned with his last name. According to the Library of Congress, the “throng in the background includes Charles W. Fairbanks, Leslie M. Shaw, Thomas C. Platt, and Joseph G. Cannon.” The artist, Udo J. Keppler (1872-1956), was the son of Joseph Ferdinand Keppler (1838-1894), an Austrian-born cartoonist who emigrated to the United States in 1867. The elder Keppler and a partner, Adolph Schwarzmann, founded “Puck Magazine” in 1871 as a German-language weekly published in St. Louis, Missouri. The magazine soon failed, but in 1876 Keppler and Schwarzmann resurrected “Puck” in New York City as a German-language weekly. A year later they began publishing an English-language edition, whose circulation slowly increased until it reached 80,000 copies per week by the 1880s. Udo Keppler, also a talented cartoonist, joined the staff of “Puck” in 1891, three years before his father died. In honor of his father, the son changed his name to Joseph Keppler, Jr. The biting caricatures in “Puck” skewered many politicians, institutions, and social movements. Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, James Blaine, Joseph Pulitzer, Pope Leo XIII and the Catholic Church, Tammany Hall, and woman suffrage were just a few of its targets. Udo Keppler became interested in Native American causes and remained an activist until his death. In 1899 the Seneca tribe made him an honorary chief. William Randolph Heart purchased “Puck” in 1917, but his efforts to increase circulation failed. It ceased publication in 1918. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05830
Subjects: Cartoons (Commentary)--1900-1910; Political cartoons; Periodical illustration; Cartoonists; Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956; Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930; Magazine covers; Roosevelt, Theodore, 1831-1878; Ohio History--Presidents and Politics