Political Cartoon
Many different ethnicities -- Irish, Bavarian Germans, and Russians among others -- flocked to the take part in the promising prospects present in America; thus, this political cartoon isn't portraying specifically the Jews that came to America following the civil war, but rather all German immigrants; Jews, nonetheless, made up a large portion of this desperate lot. The publisher of this piece was Frank Leslie, a pseudonym for Henry Carter until it was made into his legal name upon arrival to America, an accomplished engraver whose methods made the engraving process further sophisticated and efficient in an era of progress in nearly all fields. These successful advancements made the "illustrated newspaper" possible to quickly produce, of which he was an owner of one of the most progressive illustrated newspapers of the day. Throughout his nearly thirty-nine year-long career, Leslie invested in The Boy's and Girl's Weekly, The Ladies' Gazette of Fashion and Fancy Needlework, The New York Journal, and The Budget of Fun -- his most remembered publication was Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, which specialized in reporting on sensational events. The above cartoon doesn't appear to employ any hyperbolous approaches; other cousin elements to sensationalism, especially stereotypes, are easily identified. The popular view of immigration, saturating the southern states of America, was negative: migrant numbers should be decreased to allow for more native American citizens (note the cultural emphasis on citizenship) to keep jobs and decrease the unemployment rate, and attempt to stave off any contagious diseases and social "riff raf" that the immigrants, superstitiously, carried with them from their home countries. The idea being presented, why did a periodical that earned its bread from feeding the dramatic, popular beliefs and whims of the society at large dare to challenge normal opinions? Perhaps this was an outrageous approach that Leslie wanted to employ. In modern society, untoward actions and "messing up" are consequently condoned by the press attention and "hits" they receive; Leslie, who had a history of financial difficulties in consequence to lifestyle choices, sold more newspapers in proportion to the greater eye-catching columns and block pictures he published. It may seem a pity that the plight of discrimination and alienation that the Jewish immigrants possessed once they embarked on their odysseys in America was used to garnish a newspaper and siphon money into the hungry pockets of Frank Leslie. It is heartening to view the years that followed the publication of this cartoon, nonetheless, to see the progress society made towards emulating Lady Liberty's warmth, classically demonstrated in this cartoon.