Historical Era:
Date Created:
Year Created: 1898
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"Uncle Sam's New Class in the Art of Self-Government" is a political cartoon by W.A. Rogers, published in Harper's Weekly on August 27, 1898. It satirizes American imperial expansion after the Spanish-American War. The cartoon depicts Uncle Sam as a strict teacher attempting to educate unruly "students" representing newly acquired territories like Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines in the art of self-governance. It highlights the prevailing American view that these populations were not ready for independence and required American guidance. Figures such as a "Filipino Insurrectionist" in a dunce cap and squabbling "Cuban" students underscore the challenges and resistance to American rule, while simultaneously exposing the racial and cultural biases embedded in the era's so-called 'civilizing mission.'
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