Political Cartoonists Are The Court Jesters Of Today

The political cartoon is a unique art form that offers valuable insight into the culture and attitudes of the day. Valued by historians and collectors alike, editorial cartoons use satire visually. With the use of caricature drawings and humor, the cartoonist conveys a political message with a specific slant to sway or influence public opinion. By using humor, political cartoons can provide a dissenting voice in a way that is perceived as less threatening to those in power.

The first political cartoons were used in Germany in the early sixteenth century by Martin Luther to get the public behind his fight against the all-powerful Catholic Church. At the time, few outside of the church were literate so Luther used detailed illustrations to communicate to the masses successfully using the new printing press. These cartoons used stories and characters that were already familiar to the peasants. One of these cartoons showed Jesus throwing peddlers out of the temple, a story well known to the peasants, making a clear connection between the Pope and the greedy peddlers to convey Luther's radical ideas in a simple and entertaining way.

It was not until the 1700s when the art form of satire cartoons became popular. Caricaturist James Gillray and William Hogarth, often called the grandfather of satire, contributed to the political cartoons as we know them today. The first one to appear in America was drawn by Benjamin Franklin in 1754, printed in the Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9. His famous "Join or Die" cartoon showed a snake cut into eight pieces with each piece representing one of the eight colonies. It was a call to the then British colonies to unite to fight the French and Indians. Franklin used the image again in 1765 to urge the colonies to unite in the fight for independence from England.

Political cartoons continued to have significant influence in American politics, especially during the more contentious periods such as the late nineteenth century when corruption was rampant. This "Gilded Age" as termed by Mark Twain in his pointed satirical writings about congressional corruption was further exemplified by Thomas Nast's famous Boss Tweed character used to harpoon thieving, self-serving politicians.

Today, editorial satire cartoons continue to fill the role of the court jester, speaking truth to power in a socially acceptable way that both amuses and at times discomforts. We see such political humor featuring President Obama and other leaders that will one day be viewed by historians for a better understanding of the issues of today.