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Understanding a Political Cartoon – p. 294. What is a Political Cartoon?. A political cartoon expresses an opinion about politics or government. Political cartoons are most often found in newspapers and magazines. JOIN, or DIE by Benjamin Franklin. An American Political Cartoon.
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What is a Political Cartoon? • A political cartoon expresses an opinion about politics or government. • Political cartoons are most often found in newspapers and magazines.
An American Political Cartoon • Benjamin Franklin drew the cartoon JOIN, or DIE. It appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. • He hoped his cartoon would make colonial leaders want to unite together.
What Does It Mean? • The snake in the cartoon stands for most of the colonies. Each piece of the snake represents one of the colonies. • Each colony is represented except Delaware and Georgia.
What Does It Mean? • The saying Join or Die was based on an old tale about snakes. • According to this story, a snake that was cut into pieces would come to life again if it was put back together before sunset.
Why Did He Draw the Cartoon? • Benjamin Franklin wanted the pieces of the snake – the colonies – to come together to survive. • In his cartoon, Benjamin Franklin used the snake as a symbol. Symbols are a good way to show ideas that are sometimes hard to draw in a picture.
Symbols Used in Political Cartoons • The eagle is often used to represent the idea of freedom. • The dove stands for the idea of peace. • The hawk stands for war.
