The Great Fear of the Period

IMMIGRATION & UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS

• Cartoon Analysis Worksheet: Attach to cartoon.

Team Member Name: Mariah Noble

Publication White and Bauer (San Francisco Date:1860s

Cartoonist: Unavailable U.S./International (circle)

Title of the cartoon:_The Great Fear of the Period Cartoon#___

What action is taking place in the cartoon?

Uncle Sam is being swallowed by a Chinese and an Irish immigrant.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) positive or negative framing of undocumented immigrants (circle answer)

2) positive or negative framing of immigration policies (Circle answer)

What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?

The reality constructed is that by allowing immigrants into the United States, they will destroy American traditions and culture. The cartoonist specifically targets the Chinese and Irish immigrants because of the vast amount of people coming to the U.S. to construct railroads, as can be seen in the background of the cartoon. The caption states that Americans are fearful of the new immigrants taking over and destroying their heritage. The caption at the bottom, “The problem solved,” refers to immigrants swallowing and destroying each other’s culture. It is a sarcastic caption that is actually showing what a problem this result would be. The Chinese man is stereotypically illustrated with a queue hairstyle and a peasant’s outfit, and as he eats, he progressively gets fatter. The same is true of the Irish man. As they swallow the freedoms and history represented by Uncle Sam, they seem selfish and gluttonous. The Chinaman is the only person left standing, which makes him seem like the worse of the two enemies. His traditional peasant hat is on the ground in the background and he ends up wearing the Irish hat, hinting that part of the Irish culture will be preserved, but there is no evidence left of Uncle Sam.