“JOIN, OR DIE”

 

 

A Political Cartoon from the American Revolutionary Period

 

INTRODUCTION:

Would you believe that a cartoon could impact history??

 

Political cartoons are drawings with pictures, symbols (objects that represent something else), and sometimes words or labels all of which help to convey the cartoonists’ opinion or perception of a current event.  They are usually about politics, and are usually found in periodicals such as magazines and newspapers.  A political cartoon is meant to be humorous, often making fun of a government figure or political event.

 

The American Revolutionary period was definitely a time of controversial political events between colonists and Britain.  Before the Revolutionary War, America was actually 13 individual colonies whose representative sometimes had differing opinions and suggestions about the events which led up to the Revolution.  Once the colonists in general had had enough of Britain’s taxes, it became more and more clear that drastic measures would need to be taken.

 

Right about that time, Benjamin Franklin, who had established the newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette, printed the cartoon above in his paper.  This activity will give you an opportunity to examine this Join or Die political cartoon and analyze its message.  Then you will use what you have learned in our American Revolution unit so far to create your own political cartoon.  Don’t worry - I won’t grade your artistic ability, just your understanding of the event!!  You may take the perspective of an “American” patriot or a citizen in Britain.

 

INFORMATION:

The 1700s was a time of turmoil in the colonies.  Think about the order of events that occurred during this time, beginning with the results of the French and Indian War.  Check out a review of the causes of the Revolutionary War at the HistoryCentral.com web site - http://www.multied.com/revolt/causes.html.  Think about the emotions of many of the colonists as a result of Great Britain’s actions.  (You may want to check out some of the other sites listed at the bottom of this page as well.)

 

Benjamin Franklin played many important roles in early American society, including printer, librarian, inventor, and statesman.  Read more about this all-around important historical figure at the Ben’s Guide site (http://bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/index.html) to gain a better understanding of how and why he created the Join or Die cartoon.  What was his message? What were his beliefs about the issues between the colonies and Great Britain?  Would his cartoon have convinced you to take action?

 

Go to Chicago’s Historical Society History Lab lesson on America and Protest (http://www.chicagohs.org/Protest_cartoons_2_lesson.pdf).  The lesson should appear in a read-only form.  Read over page 8 of the lesson which is a Political Cartoon Worksheet.  You will be using this form to evaluate the “Join, or Die” cartoon you see at the top of this Web Drop-In page.

 

Check out some sample Revolutionary cartoons created by other students, to get ideas for your own political cartoon. (http://web54.sd54.k12.il.us/schools/hale/pgraf/american_revolution.htm

 

ACTIVITY:

  1. After reviewing the events that led to the American Revolution, and studying the Join or Die cartoon, answer the questions about the Join or Die cartoon in the Questions section.
  2. Go back to the America and Protest site and print out page 8 – the worksheet.  It will be completed by a partner based on your own political cartoon.
  3. Go back to the list of causes and pick an event about which you would like to create a political cartoon.  Remember your drawing should contain pictures, symbols to represent people or events, and maybe one or two labels or words to help identify the parts of the cartoon.  Draw your cartoon on a piece of blank white paper found in the classroom.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

  • Print out the “Join, or Die” Question sheet to answer questions specifically about this cartoon.
  • Print out the America and Protest general question sheet.  Select a partner who will study your political cartoon.  This partner will answer the questions based on your political cartoon.  Staple your cartoon and your partner’s answers together before handing them in.

 

OTHER SITES:

Now that you have a better understanding of political cartoons and the American Revolutionary period, try out your new skills on another actual political cartoon from that period:

* Bostonians in Distress

http://www.si.umich.edu/spies/print-cagedbostonians.html

 

Read more about the American Revolution and Benjamin Franklin on these sites:

The American Revolution Timeline - http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/tline.asp

…And a New Nation is Born - http://www.alexandriacentral.org/cove/revolution.html
Benjamin Franklin - http://www.colonialhall.com/franklin/franklin.asp

Franklin, Benjamin: Biography - http://www.multied.com/Bio/RevoltBIOS/FranklinBenjamin.html

Liberty’s Kids: Benjamin Franklin - http://pbskids.org/libertyskids/arch_who_bfranklin.html

 

 

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