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5 to 8 (middle school)
social studies, civics, history, art
approximately 2 class periods
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Using the Thomas Nast political cartoons that helped bring down the corrupt political machine run by William "Boss" Tweed in 1870s New York City, this activity asks students to examine and practice the art of political cartoon-making by focusing on how and why they are so effective in making a political point.
The activity is divided into two basic steps: 1) coming up with an appropriate subject for a political cartoon; and 2) developing the tools to draw an effective political cartoon.
Begin by having your students read the articles "Tweed's Machine" and "Caught by a Cartoonist."
Hold a class discussion about Tweed and Nast. Who was Tweed? Who was Nast? Why was Tweed so afraid of Nast? How did Nast's cartoons bring Tweed down? Next, move on to the subject of political cartoons generally. You might want to go to news archives and find old political cartoons. Have the students look at the cartoons and try to explain what they mean. Do they stand the test of time? How much do they explain about an event that is long forgotten?
Then, try contemporary political cartoons. Look in the local paper, or visit the following Web site, which is also listed on the activity page for students to explore:
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Professional Cartoonists Index
http://www.cagle.com/
Features the work of more than 60 editorial cartoonists, updated daily.
Ask students to think about why political cartoons can be more effective than a host of editorials. You might also show several that cover the same topic. Have the students study them. Why is one more effective than another? This can lead to a discussion about how and why political cartoons work. You might also compare older cartoons with modern ones. What are the differences?
This activity works best as an individual exercise, either for use in class or as a take-home assignment.
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This is a relatively straightforward activity that will require little guidance on your part. You might want to guide the students to appropriate subjects and go over some of the tips on political cartoon-making offered on the activity Web page. With students who have difficulty drawing, you might suggest the use of collage.
- If the student chooses a local or school subject, you probably want to make sure that it is not gratuitously offensive, hurtful, or insulting. But be careful. This is, after all, a lesson in the power of effective cartooning and effective cartooning often relies on caricature. Finally, you can offer to post the students' cartoons on a class or school bulletin board.
Smart Art
In a democracy like America, we enjoy many freedoms. One of the most important of these is free speech -- it gives us the right to say anything that's on our mind. If you think the President of the United States is an idiot, you have every right to say so. And, of course, drawing is a form of free speech.
Yet there are limits. The law says you can't shout "fire" in a crowded theater, you can't use certain swear words on the radio, and you can't print something about someone that you know is not true for the purpose of harming his or her reputation. Balancing free speech and common decency is a constant struggle in a democracy such as ours.
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Early New York