Group+5

__Hunter Dorsey and Chris McCarthy__ Political Cartoon Assignment Period 5/6 4/27/09

Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), also known by the sobriquets //The Commodore// or //Commodore Vanderbilt//, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads and was the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family. Among other companies, he created the Accessory Transit Company. __Explanation__: This political cartoon shows the superiority of Cornelius Vanderbilt to other railroads. In this picture, Cornelius wields the power of numerous railroads such as the Hudson River Railroad and the New York Central Railroad (represented by the two trains he is riding), and he uses this power to his advantage. In this cartoon, he is racing against another train (competing for business with the Erie Railroad). In this race, Cornelius obviously will win, as he has two trains which are both bigger than the other companies. From the dialogue, you can infer that this is a horse race. In a horse race, numerous people bet on which horse will win. This implies that Cornelius will be rewarded with the other railroad when he wins the race.

William Marcy Tweed Jr. ( April 3, 1823 –  April 12 , 1878 ), known as Boss Tweed, was an American person most famous for his leadership of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th century New York. At the height of his influence, Tweed was the third-largest landowner in New York City, a director of the Erie Railway, the Tenth National Bank, and the New York Printing Company, as well as proprietor of the Metropolitan Hotel.



__Explanation__: In this political cartoon, Boss Tweed is shown holding two boys by the collar. From this cartoon, you can infer that it illustrates the escape of Boss Tweed from prison to Spain. This is due to the striped black and white clothing he is wearing. It also implies that Boss Tweed is in hiding, as he is preventing the boys from running away and telling anyone that they saw him. On the wall, there are numerous want adds for Boss Tweed, who is shaking his cane angrily at them. You can infer that Boss Tweed is complaining about how everyone in the state of New York wanted him in jail for his corruptions and embezzlements.

Thomas Nast (September 27, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a famous German-American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist in the 19th century and is considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon."

__Explanation__: This cartoon shows Thomans Nast, who is painting a picture. In his hands he wields a paintbrush and a paint pallete. The paintbrush represents Thomas Nast's vivid imagination. The pallete represents the numerous political happenings in our daily life. He combines these two elements to create political cartoons, represented by the picture. The picture can also represent our world, as he is changing it through the messages hidden inside his cartoons. He is shaping the future of catoons through his visionary artwork.

John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and ran it until he officially retired in 1897. Standard Oil began as an Ohio partnership formed by John D. Rockefeller, his brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, chemist Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner Stephen V. Harkness. Rockefeller kept his stock and as gasoline grew in importance, his wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and the first American billionaire, and is often regarded as the richest person in history.

__Explanation__: This cartoon shows how John Rockefeller ruled both the railroad and oil industries, and profited immensely from them. On top of his head, he is wearing a crown made of all the companies that he owns. Rockefeller is standing on top of one of his major companies, Standard Oil. John Rockefeller is pictured as a king. His immense crown symbolizes his power and wealth. He has a robe adorned with dollar symbols. This shows that he is the ruler of the oil and railroad marketplace, as well as being a rich man.

Andrew Carnegie (November 25, 1835 – August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-born American industrialist, businessman, and a major philanthropist (a person who donates time, services and money to help others). He immigrated to the United States at an early age with his parents. He built Pittsburgh's Carnegie Steel Company, which was later merged with Elbert H. Gary's Federal Steel Company and several smaller companies to create U.S. Steel. With the fortune he made from business, he turned to philanthropic interests such as education, founding the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

__Explanation__: In this political cartoon, Andrew Carnegie is pounding his fist in rage at the rich. His immense size shows that he was a major political figure, admired and respected by numerous people. The force with which he slams his fist shows his immense resolve and his anger towards the rich. His statement shows that he is a kind and caring person. From this sentence, you can imply that he obviously does not care about social stature, but doing what is right and proper. The policital cartoon also depicts Andrew Carnegie as a radical, with his wild hair.

John Pierpont Morgan (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier, banker, and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time.

__Explanation__: In this picture, John Morgan is rowing a boat. He is accompanied by Uncle Sam, which represents the government. The sea represents the economy in this picture. John Morgan's immense size compared to Uncle Sam shows that his strokes in the water are stronger than Uncle Sam's strokes. This shows that John Morgan had an immense influence on the economy. It is possible that he had more influence than the governemnt had. Not only that, but this picture also shows that he had much influence on the government itself.


 * //__Current Political Topics__//**

__Explanation__: This cartoon was created during the 2008 presidential elections. In this picture, Obama and McCain are playing tic-tac-toe, the winner will win the presidency. The tic-tac-toe board represents the presidential elections process as a game. In this picture, Obama has trapped McCain, and will surely win the presidency. It illustrates that whatever move John McCain would make, Obama would outsmart him and block him from winning. It also shows that John McCain had major disadvantages over Obama, such as his budget and the dissatisfaction numerous people had towards the Republicans. The positions of the candidates on the board shows that McCain is "boxed" in.



 __Explanation__: This cartoon was created during the 2008 presidential elections. In this cartoon, Joe Lieberman is talking to a democrat, represented by the donkey. The Democrat has a knife in his back, representing how Joe Lieberman backstabbed the Democratic Party. During the presidential elections, Lieberman began to endorse McCain. He felt that Obama was an unqualified candidate for president. This angered the Democratic Party immensely and they felt that Joe had betrayed them. After the elections, although Joe Lieberman remained a democrat, many members of the party disliked him, represented by the donkey's facial expression.



__Explanation__: This is a political cartoon satirizing the U. S. Navy. In this picture, a pirate with his parrot is displayed in the "Navy Seal of Dissapproval". The pirate represents anything unsavory. The parrot represents anything that is annoying. Both of these elements represent anything that the Navy doesn't like. The pirate has crosshairs focused around him. This shows that the pirate is the target and about to be shot. This picture shows that whatever the Navy doesn't like, they take out. It indicates that the U. S. Navy does not tolerate dissent.