Guided Primary Source Analysis: Strong-Weak Government

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Strong-Weak Government

Zoom into a more detailed image of this cartoon. Using only the details from the cartoon, what main point do you think the cartoonist was trying to make. For help reading cartoons, review It’s No Laughing Matter. Then review the cartoon’s source record and this definition of carpetbagger. What insights into this cartoon does this new information provide you…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: A coldness between them

Guided Primary Source Analysis: A coldness between them

Look at a more detailed image of this cartoon. Without conducting any further research, what can you infer about these two men just by looking closing at the cartoon’s details? Collaborate with others to find out more about the controversy surrounding the two men depicted in this cartoon. What details, if any, from the cartoon are referenced in the…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Great Presidential Puzzle

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Great Presidential Puzzle

Look carefully at this political cartoon. What can you determine just from the information above? Now review the cartoon’s bibliographic record and find out about the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds by investigating the links below. After, describe new insights you now have about this political cartoon. The 1880 Presidential Election HarpWeek The Half-Breeds versus the Stalwarts from Chronology of the…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Footrace, Pennsylvania Avenue

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Footrace, Pennsylvania Avenue

According to the summary of this political cartoon, who were the three candidates for president in 1844? What was the president’s salary at this time? What is the president’s salary now? According to the cartoon summary, who is the favored contender? What details in the cartoon—positioning, symbols, text labels—support this view? Use the Primary Source Nexus search…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Concerning the American Girl

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Concerning the American Girl

List the different career paths illustrated in this political cartoon. Did any surprise you? Why or why not? Political cartoons often contain irony. What example of irony do you find in this political cartoon? (If you need help, review the post Analyzing Primary Sources: Reading Cartoons.) What do you think were the “old ideals” of womanhood in 1904?…

Featured Source: The Gerry-mander

Featured Source: The Gerry-mander

Curator’s note In 1812, Jeffersonian Republicans forced through the Massachusetts legislature a bill rearranging district lines to assure them an advantage in the upcoming senatorial elections. Although Governor Elbridge Gerry had only reluctantly signed the law, a Federalist editor is said to have exclaimed upon seeing the new district lines, “Salamander! Call it a Gerrymander.”…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: The Kidnappers

Guided Primary Source Analysis: The Kidnappers

There are 7 scenes in this political cartoon; take a look at them in greater detail in this .pdf document. What do they all have in common? Review the summary from the bibliographic record. What more did you learn? The cartoon’s center scene featuring Theodore Roosevelt could be viewed right side up or upside down. How…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Poor Illinois!

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Poor Illinois!

Use the Primary Source Nexus search box to look for more information about the Haymarket anarchists. Describe and explain something that you discovered. Use the Primary Source Nexus search box to look for more information about Peter Altgeld. Describe and explain his relationship to the Haymarket anarchists. Read the story, “Bloody Battle at a Coal Mine” published…

Learning from the Source: Perspectives on U.S. Expansion

Learning from the Source: Perspectives on U.S. Expansion

At the turn of the 20th century Admiral George Dewey, Pacific naval commander, became a veritable American hero for his role in the Spanish-American war. While United States foreign policy was focused on global expansion, not everyone believed it was a good idea. The Philippines, certainly, were not keen on U.S. imperialism and continued to fight…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: A Thanksgiving Truce

Guided Primary Source Analysis: A Thanksgiving Truce

Why do you think the creator titled this cartoon “A Thanksgiving Truce”? Use specific details from the source to support your response. What do you think the bear meant when it said (with deep feeling), “Here’s hoping that when next we meet, we see you first”? What more can you learn by reading the source record?…