An Overview
The American Civil War was fought between the Union (the Northern states who had not seceded from the U.S.) and the Confederacy (the Southern states who did secede). Its main cause was slavery, although there had been other tensions between the North and South. These tensions, however, all intersected with slavery in some way. The election of Abraham Lincoln was the last straw for many southern states.
Political cartoons, while not government-sanctioned propaganda, reflected social values and were generally representative of public opinion. Within each cartoon are an incredible amount of references to current events, important figures, and community-felt emotions. In the future, this project may explore these references in more depth.
Race Thinking
The political cartoons during the Civil War depicted slavery as a distraction to “legitimate” affairs. Slavery was dismissed in favor of other “more important” issues, like international affairs.
The cartoons also portrayed Black people with racist, dehumanizing, and animalistic caricatures. In some cartoons, Black people were even illustrated as pets on leashes.
Representation of Women
Included here are three different ways that women were represented. In the cartoon on the left, the women run a patriotic charity for soldiers in need. The middle cartoon portrays women as passive and as background figures. In the cartoon on the right, the woman is Columbia, who is a housewife here.
Role of Economics
A variety of economic themes are illustrated and mocked in Civil War cartoons. In the one below, the Confederate economy is the punchline of the joke. The cartoon belittles the Confederate Secretary of the Treasury.
