Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900 - 1941)
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
● Alfred "Al" William McCoy, who was born on June 8, 1945, in ● Other popular works:
Concord, Massachusetts, is an American historian and educator. ○ Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of
● Dr Alfred W. McCoy is a professor of SE Asian History at the US Global Power, 2017
University of Wisconsin at Madison where he also serves as director of ○ Policing America's Empire: The United States, the Philippines,
the Center for SE Asian Studies, a federally-funded National Resource and the Rise of the Surveillance State (2009)
Center. ○ Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia - a classic work on drug
● He's spent the past quarter-century writing about the politics & history trafficking (Blocked by C.I.A but remained in print for more
of the opium trade. than 50 years and translated into 9 languages
● After earning a Ph.D. in SE Asian history at Yale, the writings of
McCoy on this region have focused on two topics - Philippine political CONDITION OF THE PLACE WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN
history and Global Opium trafficking. The Philippines remains the
major focus of his research. ● Historical Context:
● In his book Philippine Cartoons: Political Cartoon of the American ○ Colonial Legacy: The Philippines derives its name from Philip
Era (1900 -1941), Alfred McCoy, together with Alfredo Roces, II, the Spanish monarch during the 16th century when Spain
compiled political cartoons published in newspaper dailies and colonized these tropical islands. This prolonged colonial
periodicals at the time. Alfredo Roces is an artist-writer who also history left indelible marks on Filipino culture, language, and
designed the book and also contributed an essay on Philippine graphic institutions.
satire of the period. ○ American Influence: After 333 years under Spanish rule, the
● Awards Earned: Philippines spent an additional 48 years under U.S. tutelage.
○ (Philippine Catholic Mass Media Award, Best Book of the Year These affiliations with the West fostered cultural affinities and
for 1985) shaped the nation’s identity.
○ (Philippine National Book Award for History, 1986) ○ American Colonial Rule: The Philippines was under
○ (Gintong Aklat Award (Manila) Special Citation for History in American administration following the Spanish-American War
1987) (1898) and the Treaty of Paris (1898).
Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900 - 1941)
○ Transition to Commonwealth: During this era, the ○ Amid English as an official language and Western cultural
Philippines moved toward self-governance as a traits, the Filipino consciousness remained distinctly Asian.
Commonwealth (1935), with eventual independence in mind. Roman Catholicism permeated daily life, shaping rituals,
● Geographical Location: festivals, and moral compasses.
○ The Philippines, an archipelago of over 7,000 islands, nestles ○ Indigenous Heritage: The struggle for national identity and
in Southeast Asia like a radiant gem. Its azure waters, lush pride persisted, balancing Western influences with indigenous
rainforests, and volcanic peaks create a breathtaking mosaic. heritage. Indigenous wisdom played out in art, literature, and
○ Manila, the bustling capital, and nearby Quezon City form the music.
National Capital Region (Metro Manila) on the island of ● Economic Conditions:
Luzon. ○ Foreign Debt Burden: The economy grappled with mounting
● Social Dynamics: foreign debt, a legacy of previous regimes.
○ Cultural Diversity: The Philippines hosts a vibrant tapestry of ○ Unemployment and Poverty: High unemployment rates and
ethnic groups, languages, and traditions. From the Tagalogs of widespread poverty weighed heavily on families.
Luzon to the Visayans of the central islands and the ○ Agriculture and Industry: Rice paddies, coconut groves, and
Mindanaoans in the south, diversity thrives. sugar plantations dotted the landscape. Efforts to diversify into
○ Class Divide: Social stratification persists, with an elite class industry and services were underway.
wielding economic and political clout while the majority
grapples with daily challenges. “Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era, 1900-41”
● Political Influence: likely captured these complexities through satirical illustrations, reflecting the
○ President Ferdinand Marcos: In 1985, the Philippines stood socio-political climate of the time. As the sun dipped below the horizon in
at a crossroads. The assassination of former Senator Benigno 1985, the Philippines stood at a critical juncture, balancing historical legacies,
Aquino Jr. in August 1983 reverberated through the nation. political tensions, and aspirations for progress.
President Marcos faced mounting dissent, economic
aftershocks, and a crisis of confidence.
CONTENT ANALYSIS
○ Authoritarianism vs. Democratic Aspirations: The struggle
for democratic reforms intensified. Calls echoed for fair
ALFRED MCCOY'S PHILIPPINE POLITICAL CARICATURE OF THE
elections, military professionalism, and curbing the President’s
AMERICAN ERA (1900-1941)
authoritarian powers.
● Cultural Influence:
Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900 - 1941)
● The transition from the Spanish colonial period to the American period teachers who are complaining about having a low salary even if
demonstrated different strands of changes and shifts in culture, society, they graduated from international universities and are qualified
and politics. The Filipinos were introduced to different manifestations in a high civil service examination.
of modernity like healthcare, transportation, and media. ○ The Filipino teachers compare the salary given to American
● The selected cartoons illustrate not only the opinion of certain media teachers who were only normal graduates wherein they
outfits about Philippine society during the American period but also received or paid much more than them.
paint a broad image of society and politics in the United States. ○ Another form of discrimination that was mentioned is about the
Americans who were given a chance to teach in an Elite
● Ang Mapapalad secondary school whereas Filipino teachers were assigned to
○ "Ang mapapalad, ang taong-bayan - kaya pala hindi matapos crowded primary schools in remote areas.
tapos ang sinasabing paghihirap ng munisipyo ay may alaga
siyang mga matabain, kung ganito nga eh, hindi sa matapos ● A public post is not a Hereditary Crown
ang paglilitis ko!" ○ The example shown above was published in The Independent
○ This caricature explains that in the year 1907, Filipinos. on May 20, 1916. The cartoon shows a politician from Tondo,
Nationalists became more concentrated on economic issues. It named Dr. Santos, passing his crown to his brother-in-law, Dr.
is said that the revenues that were used for the vast project or Barcelona. A Filipino guy (as depicted wearing salakot and
the AG&P came from the Filipino taxpayers that insulted the barong Tagalog) was trying to stop Santos, telling the latter to
nationalists because the Filipinos were barred from any stop giving Barcelona the crown because it is not his to begin
participation in their own country. with.
○ This shows that the reasons why some projects or infrastructure ○ It seemed that Filipino politicians at the time did not
are not immediately done or finished are due to those people understand well enough the essence of democracy and
who are working under the municipality of every province. accompanying democratic institutions and processes. This can
Thus, instead of using the budget intended for a proposed be seen in the rising dynastic politics in Tondo as depicted in
project, some tend to use these on other unimportant things and the cartoon published by The Independent. Patronage also
exploit the money that came from the Filipino taxpayers. became influential and powerful, not only between clients and
patrons but also between the newly formed political parties
● Equal Work, Unequal Salary, Why? composed of the elite and the United States. This was depicted
○ Inequality comes in different forms, an example of this is the in the cartoon where the United States, represented by Uncle
low salary of the teachers here in the Philippines. There were
Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900 - 1941)
Sam, provided dole-outs for members of the Federalista while ○ A man wearing a salakot named Juan de la Cruz was grabbing
the Nationalist politicians looked on and waited for their turn. the officer, telling him to leave the small time pockets and
○ Thus, the essence of competing political parties enforcing thieves and to tum at the great thieves instead.
choices among the voters was cancelled out. The problem ○ He was pointing to huge warehouse containing bulks of rice,
continues up to the present where politicians transfer from one milk and grocery products
party to another depending on which party was powerful in
specific periods. ● Colorum
○ The Philippines Free Press published this commentary when
● Flaming Youth fatal accidents involving colorum vehicles and taxis occurred
○ This fourth cartoon depicts a cinema. A blown up police officer often already.
was at the screen saying that couples are not allowed to neck
and make love in the theatre. Two youngsters were horrified ● Uncle Sam Riding a Chariot
while an older couple seemed amused. ○ Uncle Sam Riding a chariot pulled by Filipinos wearing school
○ McCoy called the "sexual revolution" that occurred in the uniforms.
1930s. Young people, as early as that period, disturbed the ○ The Filipino boys were carrying American objects like baseball
conservative Filipino mindset. We can see how that period was bats, whiskey, and boxing gloves.
the meeting point between the conservative past and the
liberated future of the Philippines.
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● Why the "Aparcero" Rebels RELEVANCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS
○ It shows the form of landlord usury used to strip tenant farmers
from their rightful share of harvest. ● Philippine political cartoons gained full expression during the
American era. Filipino artists recorded national attitudes toward the
coming of the Americans as well as the changing mores and times.
● War against Speculator
While the 377 cartoons compiled in this book speak for themselves,
○ This was drawn by Fernando Amorsolo. A Filipino child who
historian Alfred McCoy’s extensive research in Philippine and
stole a skinny chicken because he had nothing to eat. The American archives provides a comprehensive background not only to
police officer was relentlessly pursuing the said child. the cartoons but to the turbulent period as well.
Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900 - 1941)
● The book often revolves around themes deeply ingrained in American Era in the Philippines” calls for action and seeks to build a more
Philippine history and politics. These include critiques of imperialism, just and equitable society in the Philippines.
particularly the lasting impact of American colonial rule, corruption
within the government, human rights violations, and the struggle for
national sovereignty.
● The contents are in the historical context of the Philippines, spanning
from the periods of colonial rule to the complexities of post-colonial
governance.
● They may depict pivotal moments such as the Philippine-American
War, the Martial Law era under Ferdinand Marcos, and the ongoing
challenges faced by the Filipino people in asserting their rights and
autonomy.
● The text offers a compelling critique of the enduring legacies of
imperialism and authoritarianism in the Philippines, shedding light on
the systemic injustices and challenges faced by the Filipino people.
● His work is relevant to this day as it represents the feelings of the
people at the time, It discusses politics and social issues using art,
and it grants readers a glimpse of the past Philippine society through
these cartoons which provides easier understanding for the masses
even without fluency in politics.
Despite his work being controversial at the time, it serves as a wake-up call to
the Filipino people. Just like Jose Rizal’s pen and Juan Luna’s brush, each
caricature and commentary in Alfred Mccoy’s “Political Caricatures of the
