The Great Depression: A Political Cartoon Analysis

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The Great Depression, which began in October of 1929, was a time of great troubles for the United States of America. President Herbert Hoover thought it was merely “a passing incident in our national lives”, and so did not do much to change the situation. The American people were not liking Hoover’s decisions, and a new president was elected after Hoover’s first term. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stepped into office, he immediately took action. He enacted a series of programs (including Roosevelt’s Emergency Banking Act, ending Prohibition through the 21st Amendment, the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, and the National Industrial Recovery Act), many of which were enforced by the first 100 days. These programs and acts were collectively …show more content…

He was faced with a huge challenge but willingly took it. For example, in the picture at left, the viewer can see that FDR was faced with the task of “busting” the bronco, which was labeled as “Our National Problems”. Something else to notice here is that the Democratic Leaders are all huddled together under a protected roof, only looking on and not helping FDR (even though he explicitly asks them for some advice). This political cartoon shows that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a huge responsibility to shoulder, without much help from the Democratic …show more content…

In the below picture, titled “The New Chauffeur”, the cartoonist was trashing Hoover and praising FDR at the same time. The viewer can deduct that fact from many details of the cartoon – that Hoover is running as fast as he can away from the crisis (which just so happens to be that the United States of America is stuck in a tar pit), and that FDR is stepping up to take the job. In the cartoon, FDR is depicted with a wide grin on his face, and it looks from him rolling up his sleeves that he is getting ready to really take charge and do all he can to restore America’s

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