Pro-Lincoln
"Long Abraham Lincoln a Little Longer" by Frank Bellew
- This cartoon was published on November 26, 1864 by Frank Bellew on Harper's Weekly, which is a political magazine. Frank Bellew was a northern from New York and he created this cartoon to celebrate the recent election of President Abraham Lincoln.
- In this cartoon Lincoln's height is extremely exaggerated to show that he is now an even taller man after becoming president. Bellew did not mean that he is literally a taller man, but hypothetically since his political power has grown now that he is president.
- The only symbol Bellew seems to use is a newspaper that Lincoln is holding which says something along the lines that Lincoln was re-elected another four years.
- This cartoon mainly appeals to people who were for Lincoln and voted for him in the election. This would only offend people who were against him and were hoping he would not get re-elected.
“Presidential Cobblers and Wire-Pullers Measuring and Estimating Lincoln's Shoes” by Frank Bellew
- Published on March 5, 1864 this cartoon was also published by Frank Bellew who is a Northerner and was Pro-Lincoln. This cartoon was published before his re-election and Bellew is trying to demonstrate that President Lincoln has some big shoes to fill. In the cartoon you see other politicians trying to figure out how they will be able to do so while Lincoln is sleeping.
- Once again Bellew emphasizes Abraham Lincoln as a giant in comparison to the other politicians in the room.
- Bellew does not use any significant symbols or allusions in the cartoon. He just simply uses Lincoln's shoes as a hyperbole to how difficult it will be for the next president to replace him.
- This cartoon does not necessarily insult anybody, it is simply Pro-Lincoln and Anti-Lincoln would not agree with the message.
Anti-Lincoln
“Lincoln flattering himself on his chance of Re-election” by unknown
- This cartoon was published in the Southern Punch on July 2, 1964 by an unknown cartoonist. The Southern Punch is a Confederate magazine which was Anti-Lincoln at the time. The cartoon's message is showing that Abraham Lincoln is cocky about the upcoming election because he thinks he will win easily.
- No physical attributes of Lincoln are truly emphasized in this cartoon however you can see once again that Abraham Lincoln is a tall man.
- In this cartoon the small boy in the bottom left corner is supposed to be Abraham Lincoln's son who is stuffing himself with food. This portrays that Lincoln was too busy "flattering himself on his chance of re-election", as it says on the cartoon, so he is not paying attention to his son. Also behind Lincoln is supposed to be one of his slaves reading a newspaper with a bottle of alcohol tied to his wrist. The cartoon is entended to criticize Lincoln of allowing his slaves of having too many rights, which was highly disrespectful in the south, and it is supposed to accuse Lincoln of being a alcoholic.
- This cartoon was highly insulting for Abe Lincoln because it criticized him of things that are not true, such as being a drunken and ignoring his son. Also Pro-Lincoln people were also offended by this cartoon.
"Columbia Demands Her Children!" by unknown
- It is unknown who made this cartoon, however whoever did is more than likely a Southerner and Anti-Lincoln. This cartoon was published in 1864.
- Abraham Lincoln is once again portrayed as a large man. It seems as if his head seems to be a little bigger than it is supposed to be, however it is unknown if this was the intention of the cartoonist.
- Underneath Lincoln's foot you can see a proclamation signed by President Lincoln that says "500 thousand more troops". The lady on the left is Columbia wearing a dress made out of the American flag and it shows her demanding Lincoln to give her her children back in an effort to stop the war. Lincoln responds with a joke because he was criticized for joking on the battlefield of Antietam.
- This cartoon is not intended to offend anyone, whoever it could be insulting to whoever was for Lincoln sending more troops to the war.
Lincoln's Criticism
Although Lincoln is considered as one of the best presidents of all time he was highly criticized during his time. From the cartoons I have seen, it seems as if he was criticized for being unconstitutional for negotiating with other countries and fighting for the abolition of slavery. People would say that since he began negotiating with England again he was "stepping on the constitution". Also, people criticized him of being a hypocrite since he tried to abolish slavery at the same time he owned slaves. The southerns argued that he was not allowing slaveowners to use their liberty and pursue their own rights which is against the first amendment. In this situation the cartoonist were being completely ignorant since they did not realize that they were not giving the slaves their own human rights which they should have. Also, most of the cartoonist were fairly harsh on Abraham Lincoln considering all the great things he did for this nation and how much he changed the U.S. for good. I believe the cartoons back then differ from the cartoons now because they are significantly more symbolic than the ones now. For example, numerous of the Lincoln cartoons used symbols such as the constitution and other documents that provide a special meaning to the cartoon. Modern day cartoons are not as symbolic and are not as complex. Lastly, cartoonist these days publish cartoons that are much more insulting to politicians. They seem to touch on topics that are significantly more personal to politicians.