Macculloch Hall Historical Museum

Artists have the power to influence people and ideas. Thomas Nast used his position as a political cartoonist to communicate his support (or disdain) for politicians, policies, and events. Pick a current event. Today what would be the most effect way to influence a viewer, a political cartoon or a meme? Create a political cartoon or meme on your current event topic. What do you want your audience to know about that event? How can you communicate your opinion? Create digitally in the space below, in a separate document or on a separate piece of paper.  

Student Engagement: Art and Politics

Compare and contrast the two political cartoons, "Compromise- Indeed" and "A Truce-Not a Compromise" in the Venn Diagram. Both images are available for download in the Additional Resources section below. What is the same? What is different? 

Student Engagement: Political Cartoon Venn Diagram

The months between Election Day on November 7, 1876 and Inauguration Day on March 5, 1877 were stressful for the country. Thomas Nast created political cartoons for "Harper’s Weekly" depicting the situation in the United States sometimes putting a humorous spin on this serious situation. Nast was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party at the time, though he did not like the Republican Hayes, going so far as to not depict Hayes in his political cartoons. Nast also editorially attacked the Democratic candidate Tilden. Click through the images of Nast's political cartoons on the election of 1876 on the slideshow below and consider the question: How are political cartoons useful for understanding the aftermath of the 1876 election?

Using Political Cartoons to Understand the 1876 Election

Political cartoons can tell us a lot about the time they were made. They can tell us about the attitudes of people, the knowledge people had, and how events made people feel. Pick a political cartoon from the previous slideshow and answer the follow questions about it. These questions are available as a downloadable PDF at the bottom of page. 

Student Engagement: Using Political Cartoons to Understand the 1876 Election

Thomas Nast drew himself in three of the political cartoons featured in this resource kit. He drew cartoons about current events in a widely-read newspaper that many people saw. Click through the slideshow to review the images with Thomas Nast. Question to consider: What role do artists play in politics? What does that look like today?

The Artist in the Art

The Election of 1876

Compromise

After Hayes was sworn in as the 19th President of the United States, Nast made a few more political cartoons expressing his thoughts on the results. Click through the slideshow below to learn about three of the political cartoons published after the election results were decided. 

Victory

The political situation in the United States has always been dynamic. The Presidential Election of 1876 pitting the Democrat Samuel J. Tilden (1814-1886) against the Republican Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) was no different. The campaign was tough for both candidates, but the real battle began after Election Day on November 7, 1876. 

The winner would not be named for almost four months after Election Day. The vote of the Electoral Commission was finally approved in the early hours of the morning on March 2, 1877. Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the President Elect just two days before inauguration. This research kit explores and answers the following questions: How can political cartoons be used for understanding the aftermath of the 1876 election? What role does compromise play in politics? What role do artists play in politics and elections? 



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The Country's Waiting Game: Thomas Nast Illustrates the Months After the 1876 Election

Student Engagement: Art and Politics