Political Cartoons and Republicans

Introduction

The Republican Party was founded by a coalition in 1854 and was comprised of former members of the Whig, Free-Soil, and Know-Nothing parties. The slavery issue shattered America’s established political landscape and catapulted the Republicans from what seemed like nowhere straight into the White House in 1860. After Fremont’s attempt at winning the presidency in 1856, Lincoln won the election four years later, cementing the Republican Party’s desire for executive power. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States found itself politically gridlocked. Neither the newly formed Republicans nor the Democrats were able to gain much traction. The decades after the Civil War saw some of the closest and most controversial races in American history. The Rutherford B. Hayes commissioned election victory is a great example as he had fewer popular votes than Sam Tilden, but won the election under the guise of the Electoral College. The 1888 election was also very close, as less than 100,000 votes separated the leading candidates; Benjamin Harrison again won by the rules of the electoral process but lost the popular vote. During the Gilded Age of American history, the mainstream political scene was superficial and intensely partisan, but the regular Joe loved it. “Despite the lack of issues,” writes Morton Keller, “balloting – and straight ticket voting – in the 1870’s and 1880’s was at or near the highest level in American history.” He also contends that policy had become subordinate to “the sumptuous display” of parades, bonfires, and pep rallies. Accompanying this era of political advertisement and propaganda, the political system itself depended upon a spoils and patronage allowance, which gave rise to political corruption.

Political cartoons and mass media grew up with the end of the Civil War as well. As Harper’s weekly, Judge, Puck, and the New York World all competed for popular acceptance, they helped reform the political corruption of the time. After the critical election of 1896, the nature of party conflict changed. The close competition between the parties in the post Civil War period was replaced by Republican dominance. Mckinley’s defeat of William Jennings Bryan in 1896 and 1900 was followed by Republican victories in every presidential election until 1932, except for Woodrow Wilson’s victories in 1912 and 1916. This will be explored later. As the Republicans also controlled Congress from 1896 to 1930, except for during Wilson’s tenure, they were dominant everywhere but the South.