Political Cartoons mirror the society in which they were created, giving historians information on what people of the time thought was funny and found to be pressing issues. Here are some political cartoons from the Philippine-American War.

Pro-Imperialism Cartoon

This cartoon features Filipino (school?) children knocking at Uncle Sam's home door, next to which his pet bald eagle proudly sits. Uncle Sam's home represents the United States ,as it is labeled so, and the school-aged Filipinos represent the belief that America needed to educate the Philippines. Some imperialists of the time listed education of the Filipinos, in accordance with Social Darwinism and Manifest Destiny, as a mean reason for annexation of the Philippines. 

Making Fun of America's Relationship with its Territories

This cartoon shows three savage-looking men (boys?) skipping happily with their American flags, ready to celebrate America's Independence Day. The three figures labeled are Hawaii, Cuba, and the Philippines. The situation portrayed by this cartoon is funny because it is extremely ironic. It makes readers ask "Why would our annexed territories want to be considered American, and then go celebrate American independence, when in becoming American they lost the opportunity for their own independence?" The intended audience for this cartoon is imperialists.

McKinley's Secrets from America

Here, a caricature of President McKinley guards a locked book representing the true, but hidden, brutalities initiated by Americans in the Philippines. Meanwhile, he puts his hand in the face of the on-looking, larger in body size (representing the actual size of the American population versus the individual president) man, labeled U.S. Many Americans supported the Philippine-American War until the awful acts to which the United States resorted became public. This cartoon is obviously post-publication and directed at all Americans, but specifically imperialists.