A Lesson for Anti-Expansionists (1899)
Showing how Uncle Sam has been an Expansionist first, last and all the time.
Shows Uncle Sam in progressive stages from childhood in 1783 to 1899, growing in number of states and acreage.
In the 19th century, American cartoonists turned their attention to Hawai`i, publishing a variety of opinions on such events as the overthrow of Hawaiian Monarchy and annexation of the Islands by the United States.
Printed in 1899—that is, one year after the annexation of Hawai`i—“A Lesson for Anti-Expansionists” documents the rise of United States expansionism, depicting the U.S. as going from a small and innocent child to a bloated, cigar-smoking businessman … albeit one that every other nation “wants to be on friendly terms with.”
For more on American Imperialism see
America's Expansionist Appetite (1900)
DECLINED WITH THANKS The Antis - “Here take a dose of this anti-fat and get thin again!” Uncle Sam - “No. Sorry! I never did take any of that stuff, and I’m too old to begin.” The political cartoon "Declined With Thanks" was published in Puck on September 5, 1900. It depicts a large Uncle Sam getting a new outfit made at "McKinley an…
School Begins: Critique of US Imperialism (1899)
Invading foreign lands was a relatively new experience for the U.S. Given the rhetoric of civilizing uplift used to justify expansion, training was expected as part of the incorporation of new territories into the U.S. Uneasiness over the idea of using force to govern a country was overcome by tracing the issue of consent back through re…
Title: A Lesson for Anti-Expansionists / Showing how Uncle Sam has been an Expansionist first, last and all the time.
Creator: Gillam, Victor.
Date: 1899
Publisher: Judge
Source: Hawaiian Collection, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library: JK9316.H38pt.11