turning point in american politics
Thomas Nast, in his role of cartoonist, changed political history and transformed the political cartoon into a stationary entity on the editorial page.
"Nast's cartoons greatly increased circulation in the periodicals in which they appeared, providing reinforcement at both the surface and deeper mythic levels of pervasive prejudices and majority values; and a mean intensity rooted in malevolence to produce an immediate impact."
In the beginning, cartoons were strong enough to be a deciding factor. In earlier times many Americans were illiterate and photography was not popularly used. Political cartoons simplified complex issues and provided an image of candidates to the public. It caught the attention of many just for the visual aspect. Cartoons were an extremely powerful influence in opinions.
"Nast's cartoons greatly increased circulation in the periodicals in which they appeared, providing reinforcement at both the surface and deeper mythic levels of pervasive prejudices and majority values; and a mean intensity rooted in malevolence to produce an immediate impact."
In the beginning, cartoons were strong enough to be a deciding factor. In earlier times many Americans were illiterate and photography was not popularly used. Political cartoons simplified complex issues and provided an image of candidates to the public. It caught the attention of many just for the visual aspect. Cartoons were an extremely powerful influence in opinions.