Visit HarpWeek.com

   
 


 Hancock's Uphill Battle

 


 “Doctor Democracy”
  Cartoonist:  Thure de Thulstrup
  Source:  Harper's Weekly
  Date:   September 18, 1880, p. 593

Click to see a large version of this cartoon...

Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
One of the slogans used by the Democratic party during the 1880 campaign was "A change is necessary." This cover cartoon in Harper's Weekly makes the point that such a desire is ludicrous, even dangerous, when the country has achieved peace and prosperity, presumably brought about by Republican rule. "Doctor Democracy," the Democratic party represented as a tiger, has been told as much by Columbia, the symbol of the nation, and the unfurled scroll reiterates her points. Misunderstanding the nature of the situation, the Democratic party promises to change (i.e., get rid of) all of the good things that America is experiencing. An astonished and concerned Uncle Sam stands in the background in front of a screen on which the portraits of the three Republican presidents are pictured (left to right): Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes. The fourth panel awaits the likeness of Republican presidential nominee James Garfield. In the right-background appears a ghostly image of President George Washington, the father of the country.
 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

Website design © 2001-2008 HarpWeek, LLC
All Content © 1998-2008 HarpWeek, LLC
Please submit questions to webmaster@harpweek.com