President McKinley offering Uncle Sam different “dishes” from the menu

Artwork

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

An illustrated political cartoon. It is in a restaurant. There is a table with a white tablecloth and yellow embroidery on the edge. On the table is a dinnerware set for one person, another overturned glass, and a container at the back of the table containing 3 glass bottles, presumedly for condiments. Behind the table, on the back wall, is a large poster titled Bill of Fare. It has drawings of countries on it and then labels that are reminiscent of a menu. The drawing of Cuba is labeled Cuba Steak. Below that is the Porto Rico Pig, which is shaped to be reminiscent of a pig. On the bottom left is says Philippine Floating Islands with a drawing of the Philippines and on the right side are a row of islands labeled sandwich islands. Sitting on the left side of the table is the character of Uncle Sam. He is wearing a suit jacket with coattails that is blue and covered in stars. His bowtie is red. His vest is yellow. His pants, partially obscured by a napkin in his lap, are red and white striped, reminiscent of the American flag. He has white hair and his top hat is sitting off to the side on the floor. He has a smug expression and is stoking a thin beard. On the other side of the table is another man posing as the waiter. This is President McKinnley. He has short hair, no facial hair, is wearing a light blue suit with a red vest and bow tie, has an apron on underneath his jacket, and has a towel or napkin hanging over his right arm with his name written on the edge to identify him. He is looking at Uncle Sam with a stern face. On either side of them, hanging from the wall, are American flags, which are bundled in the middle like curtains.

From the Boston Globe, May 28, 1898. This cartoon illustrates the anti-imperialist sentiment of the period, depicting Uncle Sam as a smug diner pondering which country to consume first, as then U.S. President William McKinley waits on him. While some newspaper owners, like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer both used their newspapers as places to spread their pro-imperial opinion, others supported anti-expansionist arguments.

Newspaper cartoon from the Spanish-American War

Published in the Boston Globe, May 28, 1898. The cartoon illustrates the anti-imperialist sentiment of the period, depicting Uncle Sam as a smug diner pondering which country to consume first, as then U.S. President William McKinley waits on him.

Anti-Imperialism and Challenges to the US Role in the Philippines

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