Interpreting political cartoons about the John Scopes trial in the 1920s.

1. Explanation of Political
Cartoons
Women in the 1920/Scopes Trail

2. • Supports Evolution or Creationism
Supports Creation-This cartoon is not using
satire. It is using symbolism to get it’s
point across. Here you see WJB on a horse
dressed as a knight. The artist entitled the
cartoon “The Modern Crusader”. WJB is
made into the hero for defending the
Butler Act in the Scopes Trial.
• Fundamentalist or Modernist
Fundamentalist
• Explain cartoon purpose.
The purpose is to depict WJB as the hero.
The artist is probably a Christian and
supports the Butler Act.

3. • Supports Evolution or Creationism
Evolution
• Fundamentalist or Modernist
Modernist
• Explain cartoon purpose.
This cartoonist is using satire (humor to
ridicule a point of view).
WJB is being scolded by a monkey while
he discredits evolution. The artist is
making fun of WJB. WJB is a Christian
Fundamentalist, therefore the artist, most
likely, is an evolutionist.

4. • Supports Evolution or Creationism
Creationism
• Fundamentalist or Modernist
Fundamentalist
• Explain cartoon purpose.
This cartoon is using satire (humor to
ridicule a different point of view). The
person kneeling is Clarence Darrow. He
defended Scopes’s right to teach
evolution in the Scopes Trial. The title is
“Papa!”. The artist is making fun of
Darrow for believing in evolution and is
probably a Christian Fundamentalist.

5. This cartoon was not part of the homework. See if you can figure out the
answers then go to the next slide and compare your answers to mine.
• Supports Evolution or Creationism
• Fundamentalist or Modernist
• Explain cartoon purpose.

6. • Supports Evolution or Creationism
Supports Evolution
• Fundamentalist or Modernist
Modernist
• Explain cartoon purpose.
The cartoon uses satire (humor to ridicule a
different point-of-view.)
In the cartoon, the Fundamentalist is stopping the
children from picking fruit from the “Tree of
Knowledge” which is a play on the “Tree of the
knowledge of good and evil” in the Bible. The title
is “Thou Shalt Not”. The artist is poking fun at
Christians for the belief in the Creation story from
the Bible. It also is making fun of Christians not
allowing their children to learn about science.

7. Try One More…

9. • Supports Evolution or Creationism
Creationism
• Fundamentalist or Modernist
Fundamentalism
• Explain cartoon purpose.
The artist has Darrow on a hill labeled
Anti-Christ. Below are Gnosticism,
annihilation, spiritual despair. You see
the devil, skulls and dead things. It
doesn’t look pretty. The artist is saying
that Darrow is the Anti-Christ for
defending Scopes and would be a leader
of death and destruction.

10. • When you are interpreting political cartoons, the first thing is, you
must know something about the time period and know some facts
about important issues being discussed.
• Second, you must pay attention to detail. Look at every symbol and
read every note given by the artist.
• Understand if the artist is using humor or if the imagery has a more
serious tone. The cartoon on the last slide was definitely more
serious. The three before it used humor to make a point. If you
practice, you will be able to easily pick out the message of the artist.