DigitalNC: North Carolina's Digital Heritage

One of the ways that newspaper publishers express their views is through political cartoons. This editorial form became popular over the 20th century for the way it can quickly and forcefully deliver a viewpoint to its audience—particularly in decades when not all adults could read. This primary source set uses examples of political cartoons from school and community newspapers to show how the form has evolved over the last 100 years.

Time Period

20th Century

Grade Level

<a href=A cartoon showing a white journalist and a Black journalist writing at their desks but connected by their backs. Above them, a portrait of Thomas Jefferson is vomiting." />

A cartoon of a man in a suit leaning over a woman in a fancy dress and large hat.

A cartoon of a baseball player climbing over a fence while a wealthy man watches.

An illustration of a large man dosing off at a table while many small people on the table pick food off of his plate.

A cartoon of a small farmer carrying a hug bag of wheat over to a globe-headed child with an empty bowl.

A cartoon of a pharmacist mixing medicines behind a display of pornographic magazines.

A cartoon of cafeteria workers gathered around their coworker, who is slumped on the ground and sick.

A cartoon of a woman walking across a tight rope high in the air. Below her stands a man with a large net.

A cartoon of a mother and a daughter sitting together on a couch, talking.

A cartoon of Ronald Reagan and Konstantin Chernenko racing each other with small missiles in their hands.

A four-panel cartoon of a woman talking to Uncle Sam about the AIDS/HIV crisis.

A cartoon of Bill and Hillary Clinton descending from a plane to meet members of the Republican party, including Ken Starr.

A cartoon of George W. Bush and Colin Powell building a puppet labeled,

A cartoon of two drug dealers smoking in a dorm room (left) and a young woman getting busted by RIAA agents in her dorm room for listening to illegally-downloaded music (right).

Analyzing Political Cartoons

Background

Many newspapers in the 20th and 21st centuries include editorial sections designed to make arguments or give opinions about topics in the news. One way for newspaper editors to present an opinion is through political cartoons. While these cartoons can be funny and entertaining, their primary purpose is to quickly make an argument about a political or social issue. Political cartoons can be found in all kinds of newspapers published in many different countries and can be used to address any issue that the audience of the newspaper recognizes. Many times, the artists address polarizing issues with cartoons or push the boundaries in an effort to evoke a reaction from readers.

Political cartoons often use some of the same rhetorical devices as written articles, including irony, symbolism, and analogy. Cartoons also have their own rhetorical devices, such as exaggerating characteristics of a particular person and labeling things to tell you what they represent. Sometimes, the meaning of the cartoon is made clear through a short title or caption. Additionally, understanding political cartoons usually requires knowing their contexts. Many of them contain representations of famous people or references to historical events. It may also help to know the intended audience of the newspaper.

Note: Some political cartoons depict stereotypes that may be uncomfortable to see. While the examples in this set avoid offensive imagery as much as possible, other pages of these newspapers may include it.

Discussion Questions

  1. What do you see in this cartoon? Who are the characters? What are they doing?
  2. What rhetorical devices is this cartoonist using? What elements are exaggerated or humorous?
  3. What is the argument the cartoon is making? How do you know?
  4. What does this cartoon tell you about this newspaper? Who is their primary audience? What viewpoints do they want to convey?
  5. Do you find the cartoon’s point persuasive? Why or why not?