Week 3

My political cartoons represent the political leanings that a great deal of research has resulted in. For years I have been studying history and developing my stance on government and forming an ideology concerning economic systems. The Pew Typology is very accurate in that I am certainly a staunch conservative. I feel that government is often inefficient and wrong in the decisions that it makes. This is evident in the anti-federalist cartoons that I composed earlier in the semester. I pointed out the tyranny that can come from governmental authorities and the inefficiencies of a bureaucracy. I will continue to do so in my future work so that I can continue to build my understanding of how historical political situations relate to current political occurrences.

Week 2 Cartoon

This cartoon shows a government employee standing on the American Bill of Rights. Behind the soldier is a pile of weapons (including knives, pistols and rifles) along with books. The idea that knowledge is power encourages the citizens of the American government to increase the value that is placed on books and the freedom that they foster. The government employee is trampling the rights of the American people and taking their freedom to communicate thoughts (1^st Amendment) as well as their ability to protect themselves through the right to bear arms (2^nd Amendment). The citizen is kneeling on the fireplace in his own home, indicating that the government has invaded his right to privacy (a mix of the 3^rd and 4^th Amendments). The person is begging for the recognition of his rights, but the government is about to stomp down on those rights, as indicated by the looming boot of a soldier over the citizen. The idea that the books and weapons will be forcibly taken from the home is affirmed because the government employee has a rifle around his back.  Additionally, the rifle around the government employee’s back indicates the brutal subjugation that will come after the peaceful citizens (those who hope for the best from their government) have been removed from any potential conflict. This cartoon represents a very real possibility in that our government faces daily debates that will either lead to an increased amount of governmental power or continued freedoms for the people.

Week 1 Comprehensive Assignment

This cartoon depicts an anti-federalists outlook regarding the public with relation to leaders in a federalist system. Anti-federalists believe that a federal system takes too much power from the states and the common man. In a federalist system, the leader may intentionally or accidentally establish himself as the leader for longer than is wise (like FDR). When this occurs, that person may begin to accumulate powers that he should not have, like in the French monarchial system under Louis XIV. The idea is expressed in this cartoon by giving the figure in the carton a halo of fire, mimicking portraits of Louis XIV, the Sun King. The people, like slaves, are subjected to the rule of the leader, depicted by the most obvious part of the image. The people are bowing at the feet of the leader, just as slaves and worshippers do. The ambiguous figure being worshipped in the picture does not have a face in order to depict that the voting populace would not truly know who he is. The voters who are worshipping the figure have walking canes and ballots written in brail. The braille on the ballots translates to “Federalist” & “Anti-Federalist”. The blind voters selected the Federalists to lead the country. This depicts the idea that voters are blind to what really occurs in a bureaucracy. The cartoon is pointed toward the Federalist voters, in hopes to make them realize what a strong centralized government could mean for the country.