POLITICAL CARICATURE OF THE AMERICAN ERA
Alfred McCoy
 Born in 1945
 Massachusetts, USA
 Professor of South East Asian
History at University of Wisconsin
at Madison
 Director of SEA Studies at the
same school
 History and Politics are the focus of
his writings
- Philippine Cartoons (1985)
- Anarchy of Families (1994)
- Closer than Brothers: Manhood
at the Philippine Military
Academy (2000)
- Lives at the Margin (2001)
 After Ph.D at Yale he focused of 2
topics
- Philippine Political History
- Global Opium Trafficking
Document
 1900 – 1941 Philippine Political
Cartoons gained full expression
during the American Era
- Filipino artist recorded National
attributes toward the coming of
the Americans as well as the
changing more at times
 377 – cartoons compiled
- Research based on Philippine
and American archives
- Focuses not only on cartoons
but also on the turbulent period
 Achievements
- 1st book about Caricatures
- 1st one to legitimize cartoons as
sources of Filipino thoughts and
views
Caricature
 Art form
 Art exaggerating human features and
poking fun at its subject
 Art technique became part of the
print media as a form of Social and
Political commentary, usually targets
persons at power and authority
 Became effective tool of publicizing
opinions through heavy use of
SYMBOLISM
 Represents opinion and captures the
audience’s imagination
 Nationalism, Patriotism, Eye-opener
and Discover our roots
- Commentaries with the
caricatures are useful in seeking
to see the opinions and views of
people on policies which are
rooted on the opinions and
views of officials in the
government
- Becomes the representation of
the current conditions of our
country
- Lets us see the problem
- Glimpse of the past
 Reflected two cartoon themes:
- Anti American Sentiments
- Condemnation of the Ruling
Class
1st Cartoon
 Published in “The Independent” on
May 20, 1916
 A politician in Tondo named Dr.
Santos was passing a “crown” down
to his brother-in-law named Dr.
Barcelona
 A Filipino guy trying to stop Dr.
Santos – “The crown was not his to
begin with”
 “A PUBLIC POST IS NOT A
HERIDATARY CROWN”
 Here, we can see the use of
 symbolism. The crown which stand
for authority, power or the public
post while the Salakot and Barong
Tagalog shows that the guy wearing
it is a Filipino.
 Depicts the abuse of power and the
current situation during that time.
 Today, we can relate political
dynasty to this caricature
2nd Cartoon
 Drawn by Fernando Amorsolo on
June 16, 1917
 Filipino child who stole skinny
chicken because he had nothing to
eat
 A Police officer relentlessly chasing
the child
 Juan de la Cruz was grabbing the
officer telling him to leave the child
who was a small time pickpocketer
and eye the great thieves instead
 Commentary to the workings of
the Manila Police who focuses on
the small time pickpocketer and
lets the thieves committing greater
crimes free.
 Used symbolism to present Juan de
la Cruz who was wearing Salakot
and Barong Tagalog
3rd Cartoon
 Published in Philippine Free Press
 Commentary on the unprecedented
cases of colorum automobiles in the
city streets
 Published during the fatal accidents
involving colorum vehicles and taxis
occurring too often.
4th cartoon
 American is on the verge of
introducing their culture to us.
Wherein they drastically introduced
different modernity, and it includes
the drastic shifting of ideology; the
old and conservative mindset of the
Filipinos to the liberal exposure of
youngsters.
5th cartoon
 Who is Uncle Sam?
- "Uncle Sam", "Big
Brother","Yankee Daddy", they are
all symbols of government.
 In which Uncle Sam is a common
personification of the US Federal
government or the country itself.
 Also his name derived from two
abbreviation letter of the United
States, which is U.S (Uncle Sam)
 The 5th cartoon shows that Uncle
Sam is riding a chariot pulled by
Filipino students. Uncle Sam there,
is a American teacher who taught
those Filipino students the American
culture that is why they are wearing
such thing such holding a baseball
bat and caps, an armour shield, and
etc.
6th Cartoon
 Nacionalista Party - is the oldest
political party here in the Philippines
and some other parts here in Asia. In
which, Nacionalista Party considered
as a country's vehicle for
independence through the building of
a modern nation-state and the
advocacy of efficient self-rule free
from the control of the Americans.
*Federalista Party - is a political
party that advocated the annexation
of the Federal goverment of America
to the Philippines as a US state.
 Wherein, the Americans let Filipinos
rule some government position
through requiring selected people
from the Elite Cluster of the society
in the Philippines.
- Americans also promoted
Tutelary Democracy, wherin, the
 Americans give the power to the •Prolonging of poverty and
Filipinos in terns of governing but underdevelopment
not totally, Filipinos governed under •Continuing prevalence of massive
the American's supervision. corruption
 The 6th cartoon shows that, Uncle •Propagation of political and socio-
Sam is doling out the meager economic inequality
patronage to the Filipino government
officials, especially to the members
of Federalista party, with their Relevance and Contribution of Political
victory in the July 1907 election, Caricature
while the Nacionalista members are
still waiting for their turn.
 As a valid historical instrument
Analysis
 Useful in seeking to see the opinions
 Americans promoted different and views of people on politics
strands of changes and shifts in which arr rooted on tbe opinions and
culture, society and mostly to the views of officials in the government
politics. Primers for engaging in the
prevailing opinions of that time
-One of the positive effect of
✓ The selected cartoons illustrate not political cartooon and caricature is
only the opinion of certain media that, it becomes the representationof
about the Philippine society but also the current conditions of our country-
paint a broad image of society and it let us see rhe problems.
politics under the US colonial time.
- In the arena of Politics, we see
that democracy was introduced but
not necessarily practice and it
obviously seen through the rising of
political dynasty.
 Political Dynasty - a sequence of
powerful leaders in the same family
tree. There are two classifications of
political dynasty here in the
Philippines, this are:
1. Thin Political Dynasty - which
means that a political clan that only
has two family member swapping in
a certain position in the government
2. Fat Political Dynasty - which
monopolizing power in a
undesireable situation, that every
member of the same family occupies
different positions in the government
at the same time.
 Effect of having a Political Dynasty