The political cartoon that I choose was created by Thomas Nast and appeared in Harper's Weekly on April 28, 1877. At first glance, the cartoon depicts a statue of Andrew Jackson (one of our former Presidents) mounting a rather large pig and the words, "To The Victors Belong The Spoils". However when examined closely, one might note that the words "bribery", "fraud", and "plunder" are located on the statue, and that the White House is located in the background.. All of these words indirectly symbolize Jackson's use of the spoils system in the White House. In this policy, the victorious President appoints and replaces employees with government posts with those who support his views. Jackson believed that in a new rotation in office when practicing the spoils system. In addition, in 1832 Senator William Marcy of New York made a speech in defending Jacksons new appointments and said, "To the victor belongs the spoils of the enemy". Thus, Nast indirectly refers to this event by naming the cartoon after it. However, many people believed that Jackson's use of the spoils system evolved into coruuption because, it led to a highly democratic dynamic and, was based strictly on the needs of the party. Nast uses this cartoon to expose Jackson's curroppt policies to his supporters. and continues to do it when drawing Jackson on a pig. Jackson might have been a war hero, but now that he is in offfice, Jackson is not longer admirable (which is why Nast drew him on a pig).
