Content and Contextual

Analysis of Selected
Primary Sources in
Philippine History
Prepared by: Palen, Ma. Andrea Mae R.
A Glance at Selected
Philippine Political
Caricature in Alfred
McCoy’s Philippine
Cartoons:
Political Caricature
of the American Era
(1900-1941)
 WHAT IS CARICATURE?
➢A picture, description,
or imitation of a person
in which certain striking
characteristics are
exaggerated in order to
create a comic or
grotesque effect.
 AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
➢Alfred W. McCoy is a professor of
History at the university of Wisconsin
where he also served as Director of
Center for Southeast Asian Studies
- Specialized in Philippine Political
History and Global Opium
Trafficking
➢He spent the past quarter of his life
writing about the politics and history
of the Opium Trade.
 Alfred William mccoy
➢His interest in Filipino history allowed
him to master the Hiligaynon dialect
and understand the political situation,
not just the region of Iloilo but of the
whole country.
➢With the help of Alfredo Roces, the
designer of the book, McCoy
published Philippine Caricature.
❑Political cartoons and caricature are
rather recent art form, which veered away
from the classical art by exaggerating
human features and poking fun at its
subjects.

❑Such as Gene Art and technique became a

part of the print media as a form of social
and political commentary, which usually
targets persons of power and authority.
➢Cartoons become an effective tool of publicizing opinions
through heavy use of symbolism, which is different from a
verbose written editorial and opinion pieces.
➢The unique way that a caricature represents opinion and
captures the audience’s imagination is reason enough for
historians to examine these political cartoons.
➢In his book Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the
American Era (1900 – 1941), Alfred McCoy, together with
Alfredo Roces, compiled political cartoons published in
newspaper dailies and periodicals in the aforementioned time
period.
 The Independent on May 20,
1916. The cartoon shows a
politician from Tondo,
named Dr. Santos, passing
his crown to his brother-in-
law, Dr. Barcelona. A Filipino
guy (as depicted wearing a
salakot and barong tagalog)
was trying to stop Santos,
telling the latter to stop
giving Barcelona the crown
because it is not his to begin
with.
The Independent on June
16, 1917. This was drawn by
Fernando Amorsolo and was
aimed as a commentary to
the workings of Manila
Police at that period. A man
wearing a salakot labeled to
be Juan Dela Cruz was
grabbing the officer, telling
him to leave the small-time
pickpockets and thieves and
turn to at the great thieves
instead.
It was a commentary on
the unprecented cases
of colorum automobiles
in the city streets. The
Philippine Free Press
published his
commentary when fatal
accidents involving
colorum vehicles and
taxi occurred too often
already.
 A cartoon depicts a
cinema. A blown-up
police officer was at
the screen saying that
couples are not
allowed to neck and
make love in the
theater. Two
youngsters looked
horrified while an
older couple seemed
amused.
 The fifth cartoon was published
by the The Independent on
November 27, 1915. Here, we see
the caricature of Uncle Sam
riding a chariot pulled by
Filipinos wearing school
uniforms. McCoy, in his caption
to said to cartoon, says that this
cartoon was based on an event
in 1907 when William pier riding
a chariot pulled by students of
Liceo De Manila.
The last cartoon was published by
Lipang Kalabaw on August 24,
1907. In the picture, we can see
Uncle Sam rationing porridge to
the politicians and members of
the Progesista Party (sometimes
known as the Federalista) while
the members of the Nacionalista
Party look on and wait for their
turn. This cartoon depicts the
patronage of the United States
being coveted by politicians from
either of the party.
✓The transition from Spanish colonial period to the
American occupation period demonstrated different
strands of changes and shifts in culture, society, and
politics.
✓The selected cartoons illustrate not only the opinion of
certain media outfits about the Philippine Society during
the American period but also paint a broad image of
society and politics under the United States.
✓The transition from Catholic-centered, Spanish-Filipino
society to an imperial American-assimilated one, and its
complications were also depicted in the cartoons.
✓This is a direct consequence of the drastic urbanization
of the Philippine society.
✓Lastly, the cartoons also illustrated the conditions of poor
Filipinos in the Philippines now governed by the United
States. From the looks of it, nothing much has changed.