Chapter Twenty-Two – War & Peace
History 1493
League of Nations Political Cartoon Analysis
Introduction
Some Americans feared that membership in the League of Nations would create too many foreign entanglements. In the battle between President Woodrow Wilson and the United States Senate over ratification of the Treaty of Versailles, many Senators were reluctant to ratify the treaty because of the poor terms Germany received and because of a provision that included the League of Nations. President Wilson included the League in his 14 Points, the proposals he took to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. The League was designed to handle global diplomatic problems before they turned into wars and was the most controversial part of the final treaty.
Instructions
Study the cartoon “Interrupting the Ceremony” (drawn by John T. McCutcheon in 1918) below, and think about its message.
League of Nations Political Cartoon Analysis
Discussion Questions
1. Understanding that political cartoons are full of symbolism, what does each of the main figures in the cartoon represent? What are they doing?
The priest represents the league of nations, the groom is uncle Sam, the bride is foreign entanglements, and the grandfather is the U.S. Senate. They are having the united states enter into an agreement with other countries. This causes concern for the Senate because this could cause the U.S. to get involved into many foreign problems.
2. Why do you think the cartoonist used marriage in this cartoon?
Marriage was used to symbolize the commitment for better or worse.
3. What main point or message does this cartoon illustrate? What clues support your conclusions? Explain your answer.
The cartoon is depicting the lack of support of the United States Senate due to them crashing the wedding.