Alfred Mccoy’s PhiliPPine

cArtoons:
Political Caricature of the American
Era
(1900-1941)
• IMPORTANCE OF THE
DOCUMENTS

1. It provides an important record of the American era. They

reflect the values, conflicts and important issues in the
society.
2. It encourages us the process of opinion formation and
decision making as well as provide entertaining perspective
on the news.
3. It represents the feelings of the people way to discuss
political and social issues using arts.
4. The future generations will be able to have a glimpse of the
past Philippine society through these cartoons.
 • BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
Alfred “Al” W. McCoy
 Born on June 8, 1945 in Concord, Massachusetts, United States.
 Dr. Alfred “Al” W. McCoy, who is Professor of SE Asian History at the University of Wisconsin
at Madison where he also serves as director of the Center for SE Asian Studies. He’s spent the
past quarter-century writing about the politics and history of the optimum trade.
 McCoy has spent the thirty years writing about Southeast Asian history and politics. His
publications include Philippine Cartoons (1985), Anarchy of Families (1994), Closer Than
Brothers: Manhood at the Philippine Military Academy (2000) and Lives at the Margin (2001).
 After earning a Ph.D. in Southeast Asian history at Yale, the writings of McCoy on this region
has focused on two topics; Philippine Political History and Global Opium Trafficking. The
Philippines remains the major focus of his research. His teaching interests include; Modern
Philippine social and political history, U.S. foreign policy; Colonial empires in Southeast Asia;
illicit drug trafficking; and CIA covert operations.
Alejandro roces

▪ ALEJANDRO ROCES
National Artist for Literature (2003)
(July 13, 1924 – May 23, 2011)

▪ “You cannot be a great writer; first, you have to be a good person”

 Alejandro roces
Alejandro Roces, is a short story writer and essayist and considered as the country’s best writer of
comic short stories. He is known for his widely anthologized “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.”
In his innumerable newspaper columns, he has always focused on the neglected aspects of the
Filipino cultural heritage. His works have been published in various international magazines and
have received national and international awards.

Ever the champion of Filipino culture, Roces brought to public attention to the aesthetics of the
country’s fiestas. He was instrumental in popularizing several local fiestas, notably, Moriones and
Ati-atihan. He personally led the campaign to change the country’s Independence Day from July
4 to June 12, and caused the change of language from English to Filipino in the country’s stamps,
currency, and passports, and recovered Jose Rizal’s manuscripts when they were stolen from the
National Archives.

▪ His unflinching love of country led him to become a guerilla during the Second World War, to
defy martial law and to found the major opposition party under the dictatorship. His works
have been published in various international magazines and received numerous national and
international awards, including several decorations from various governments.
 • CONTEXT OF THE DOCUMENTS
•POLITICAL CARTOONS OR CARICATURE

are a rather recent art form, which veered away from classical art by exaggerating human
features and poking fun at its subjects. Such art genre 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 became 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.
Commentaries in mass media inevitably shape public opinions and such kind of opinion s is
worthy of historical examination.
• Philippine Cartoons:Political Caricature of the American Era
(1900- 1941)
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
more and times. While the 377 cartoons compiled in this book speak for themselves,
historian Alfred McCoy’s extensive research in Philippine and American archives provides a
comprehensive background not only to the cartoon but to the turbulent period as well. 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. For this part, we are going to look
at selected cartoons and explain the context of each one.
ACHIEVEMENTS

 PHILIPPINE CARTOONS (198 5)

 Philippine Catholic Mass Media
Award
 Best book of the year for 1985
 Philippine National Book Award for
History, 1986 Gintong Aklat Award
(Manila)
 Special Citation for History (1987)
▪ The first example shown was published in 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 (mas depicted wearing 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 second cartoon was also published by The Independent on June 16,1917. This drawn by Fernando
Amorsolo and was aimed as a Commentary to the workings of Manila Police at the period. Here, we see a
Filipino child who stole a skinny chicken because he had nothing to eat. The police officer was relentlessly
pursuing the said child. A man wearing a salakot, labeled Juan dela Cruz was grabbing the officer, telling him
to leave the small-time pickpockets and thieves and turn at the great thieves instead. He was pointing to huge
warehouses containing bulks of rice, milk, and grocery products.
▪ This third cartoon was a commentary on the unprecedented cases of colorum
automobiles in the city streets. The Philippine Free Press published this
commentary when fatal accidents involving colorum vehicles and taxis
occurred too often already.
▪ This fourth 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 next cartoon was published by The Independent on November 27,1915. Here, we see the caricature of
Uncle Sam riding a chariot pulled by Filipinos wearing school uniforms. The Filipino boys were carrying
American objects like baseball bats, whiskey, and boxing gloves. McCoy, in his caption to the said
cartoons, says that this cartoon was based on an event in 1907 when William Howard Taft was brought to
the Manila pier riding a chariot pulled by students Liceo de Manila. Such was condemned by the
nationalist at that time.
▪ The last cartoons 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 Progresista Party
(sometimes known as Federalista Party) while members of the Nacionalista Party look on and
waiting for their turn. This cartoon depicts the patronage of the United States being coveted by
politicians from either of the party.
 •CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE
DOCUMENT
Serves as a mirror of the society’s colonial condition.
Positive and negative changes were mirrored in the cartoons.
Conveys scandals, struggles, and social changes of the American Colonial Period.
Discovery of Filipino’s creativity in journalism and cartoons.
How they used it as an act of protest or weapon in the struggle for social reform & independence.
Shows an array of information and graphic images which mainly focuses on the political aspect.
Filipino politician did not understand the essence of democracy and the accompanying democratic institution and
processes.
Patronage became influential and powerful.
Transition from a Catholic-centered, Spanish-Filipino society to an imperial Americaassimilated one.
“Sexual revolution” mindset.
Condition of the poor Filipinos in the Philippines