Is This Why Hawaii Wants Independence?

Is This Why Hawaii Wants Independence?

McCutcheon, John T. (John Tinney), 1870-1949

Political cartoons

Ethnic relations

Imperialism

Hawaii

Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)

Race relations

Lynching

African Americans

Massie, Thalia, 1911-1963

Hawaii, in the form of an ethnic charicature, walks with Uncle Sam while holding his hand. A newspaper boy runs up to the pair with a newspaper reading "Extra- All about the epidemic of lynchings! RaceWar! Blacks driven out of town!", shocking Hawaii. In the final panel, Hawaii begs for independence to a shocked Uncle Sam.

In 1893, U.S. forces overthrow Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii and established a Provisional Government, establishing a U.S. territory on July 7, 1898 under controversial circumstances. This cartoon by John T. McCutcheon possibly refer to the Massie Trial, in which an intoxicated Thalia Massie, a white navy wife, asserted she had been raped and assaulted. The police arrested five plantation workers, whom Massie positively identified. Plantations workers tended to be any combination of Japanese, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, Pilipino, and Portuguese, and many believe she accused them based on their race. One of the five was later severely beaten and another murdered. The murderers served an hour sentence in the Territorial Governor's executive chambers.

McCutcheon, John T.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

n.d.

jpg

eng

400985

John T. McCutcheon Collection

political cartoon

b&w

1

48 x 37 cm