Posted in Lost Cause

Thomas Nast Cartoon on the Threat to Black Suffrage from Confederates and Northern Democrats

Thomas Nast was America’s most powerful political cartoonist throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction. A strong supporter of the Republican Party during the 1860s, he…

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Posted in Ku Klux Klan Myths of Reconstruction White Supremacy White Supremacy Apologetics White Terror

Ku Klux Klan Float at the 1872 Memphis Mardi Gras

The 1872 Memphis Mardi Gras featured a Klan float. This was the first-ever Mardi Gras parade in the city, which had seen a bloody massacre…

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Posted in U.S. Grant

Cartoonist Thomas Nast, the Campaign of 1868, and the Image of Ulysses S. Grant

​ In May, 1868, German immigrant illustrator Thomas Nast designed the backdrop at the Republican National Convention. According to biographer Fiona Deans, “On an enormous…

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Posted in Emancipation Proclamation Memory of Reconstruction Photos Slavery

Thomas Nast Depicts the Emancipation of the Slaves in a Giant Cartoon

New Year’s Day is also the anniversary of Lincoln’s January 1, 1863 signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. To celebrate the signing, Tomas Nast sketched a…

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Posted in Immigrants Refugees

How German Refugee Thomas Nast Invented How Santa Claus Looks Today Back During the Civil War and Reconstruction

Thomas Nast did not invent the American Christmas, but the German immigrant did develop the iconic image of its central celebratory figure, Santa Claus. Nast’s…

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Posted in Immigrants Uncategorized

A Close Look at Thomas Nast’s Cartoon “Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner” 1869 Immigrants Welcome Here?

One of Thomas Nast’s most reproduced cartoons is his 1869 Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner depicting a new America at the dinner table. While an 1860 version of…

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Posted in Book Reviews Press

Thomas Nast: The Father of Modern Political Cartoons by Fiona Deans Halloran

Thomas Nast: The Father of Modern Political Cartoons by Fiona Deans Halloran published by University of North Carolina Press (2013) 380 pages Hardcover $29.95 Kindle $17.49….

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