TOW #22: Visual Text (Bill of Fare Cartoon)

The above political cartoon, drawn in 1898 by an unidentified cartoonist, satirizes the casualty of American imperialism. At the time, McKinley was President, and although he wasn't strongly in support of imperialism, he often found himself pressured by the rest of the nation (mainly by businessmen and journalists) to take action that would lead to the acquisition of foreign nations and peoples.

The policy of massive takeover in the context of a quaint cafe highlights the nonchalance with which America invaded nations like Cuba and the Philippines. Rather than think about it carefully with a board of advisers, the image of "Uncle Sam" decides how to use his naval power with all the seriousness of deciding what to order off of a restaurant menu. The author's message is that America didn't consider the gravity of the order to send troops to a nation and dominate it. It was a spontaneous decision that didn't take into account the morality or even necessity of the U.S.'s actions.

The depiction of McKinley as a waiter exaggerates his passivity in office. The President is supposed to serve our country, but McKinley is portrayed as literally serving our country, thus implying that he doesn't exercise his right to rule and instead bends to the will of the American people. Had McKinley not had, as Teddy Roosevelt stated, "the backbone of a chocolate eclair," he might have had a chance to resist the desire (fueled by yellow journalism and economic wishes) of America to begin a system of quasi-Euro imperialism.

It is important to remember that the illustrator of this cartoon was alive during the time when places like Guam and Hawaii were being tacked onto the United States just to forge a path to China. Whatever ideas we have of the past must be forgotten, even if they agree with the authors', since our minds were changed by history.