We Can’t Digest the Scum

We Can’t Digest the Scum

The “We Can’t Digest the Scum” political cartoon was created by Billy Ireland on March 4, 1919. There is a tall, slender man, known as Uncle Sam, who is a symbol of America. Uncle Sam is seen leaning over a giant sizzling pot with a ladle in his hand. The pot is...
Path to Citizenship

Path to Citizenship

Take a look at the poster called Path to Citizenship from 1917. It instructs immigrants to learn English and apply for citizenship. The message appears in English, German, Hungarian, Czech, Yiddish, and Italian. This reflects the diversity of immigrants arriving in...
“American Progress” by John Gast

“American Progress” by John Gast

American Progress, the 1872 painting by John Gast, is perhaps the most iconic portrayal of Manifest Destiny in the United States of America. Beginning with Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the young nation began to turn its eyesight towards westward...
Mulberry Street

Mulberry Street

  Mulberry Street, New York City is a photo taken from the Library of Congress website. The photo was taken in the early 1900’s and although it appears to be staged as all the people in the picture are looking in the direction of the camera, it gives a glimpse...
The Chinese Must Go – Magic Washer

The Chinese Must Go – Magic Washer

There is a long and brutal history of discrimination against Chinese immigrants as a race in the United States.  This 1886 poster was an advertisement by a company to promote its laundry product, the Magic Washer.  It was a typical depiction of how the Chinese were...