Political cartoons have had a tremendous impact on the way history has unfolded, particularly before the majority of the population was able to read. One simple image defining complex social issues are the crux of what makes political cartoons so effective for both the layman and the erudite.

3. Caricature: A political or editorial cartoon that parodies the individual.
Allusion: A political or editorial cartoon that invents the situation or context
into which the individual is placed.

4. C l a s s i c a l
05
The contrasting themes and traditions in Classical
and Baroque SculptureAlthough the original roots of political cartoons
can’t be traced, historians agree that Benjamin
Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon, which depicts a
snake broken into several parts, was the first
political cartoon to influence the masses in
America.
The First Political Cartoon in the United States
Franklin’s goal was to paint the colonies as a
fractured group that couldn’t face problems
without help from one another, and eventually his
cartoon became an important symbol for colonial
unity.

5. 05
The contrasting themes and traditions in Classical
and Baroque Sculpture
Cartoons Play Critical Role in American Civil War

6. 05
The contrasting themes and traditions in Classical
and Baroque Sculpture
Cartoons Play Critical Role in American Civil War