POLITICAL SATIRE IN THE NEWSPAPER COMICS

Political satire has become a regular part of newspapers around the world and is a popular forum for giving voice to the political climate by most often characterizing a particular political figure in a not-so-flattering caricature in an amusing situation that depicts the artist's opposing views. These comics use humor to get a point across, often on very serious issues that are part of the current political environment.

The caricature is described as "a parody of an individual, and allusion, which creates the situation or context into which the individual is placed.” Leonardo Da Vinci has been credited for the caricature and it has since been used in many forums throughout the centuries in paintings and in print. The use of caricatures became widely popular across Europe to criticize governments and their leaders, even in times when such criticism could be dangerous. As explorers left Europe and reached the United States to be a part of the New World, the political cartoon followed.

It was Benjamin Franklin who created and printed the first political cartoon in America which was published in every newspaper at that time. The political cartoon was very important in those early days, as most of the common people were illiterate, thus, the cartoons could convey a message through pictures that could be understood by most who saw them.

Inspired by the Civil War, Thomas Nast, considered the greatest American political cartoonist to have ever lived, became well known for his cartoons supporting President Lincoln's policies. It was during this time that literacy rates among white Americans grew to such a degree that text was added to the political cartoons, giving them greater influence and power. Nast later used his cartoons to attack corruption in New York City. Interestingly, Thomas Nast also created the Republican Elephant and Democratic Donkey as well as the jolly, plump version of Santa Claus that is part of our culture today.

One of the most famous political cartoonists of the 20th century is Herbert Block, who satirized presidents from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush and has won three Pulitzers during his illustrious career. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed upon an American civilian, by President Bill Clinton in 1994. Lyndon B. Johnson, not amused by Block's attacks through his cartoons, refused to award him the honor.

The political satire cartoon is alive and well and continues to be an influential part of the American culture. It makes us think and even laugh, but it will not let us forget the political issues of the day.

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