In: Economics
Examine political cartoons published in the early nineteenth century. How accurately did these cartoons reflect society in the early 1800s?
As the period in history at the turn of the 20th century has come to be known, the Progressive Era was a time of tremendous social, cultural, and political change, and the 1912 presidential election typified the period's reform spirit. Beginning in the late 1800s with the opposition to industrial politics ' "spoils system," progressivism gained traction between 1900 and 1916, as the appetite for change impregnated the minds of the American people. Reformers themselves were a diverse group to transform America, often with different views, but always with the same general purpose.
The first two featured papers, both political cartoons, satirized the reversal of Roosevelt's anti-third term promise, and his assumption of the Progressive Party leadership. Both La Follette and Roosevelt lost the Republican nomination to the incumbent, Taft, who was still in control of delegates from the national convention. Nevertheless, Roosevelt had swept 9 of the 12 primary states including Ohio's home state of Taft.
This primary battle is depicted in the third document shown, a political cartoon portraying Ohio as the "Mother of Presidents." Victories in those elections made Roosevelt and his democrats convinced they embodied the people's will. They declared their Progressive Party formally, and opposed Woodrow Wilson, Taft and the Democratic candidate. The fourth document included, another political cartoon, depicts the three candidates shortly before election day in 1912