George Washington Political Cartoons - The Man That Could Not Tell a Lie

In a world today that is so influenced by media it is hard to imagine what could have been said or produced on paper about our early presidents. George Washington, the first president of the United States, must have been hounded by the media and/or other writers just as politicians of today, right? If you search you can find George Washington political cartoons on the internet or in libraries. Are they as brutal as some of today's political cartoons? No.

Good ole George Washington is very well known by many elementary children as the good man that "could not tell a lie". A more current past president, Bill Clinton, may not have such a historical impact in the memory of most. One is more likely to think of him as the man that had no choice but to lie as his personal affairs were brought very public for the world to critique. So, in comparison a political cartoon of Clinton would likely be distasteful and perhaps include a cigar whereas George Washington political cartoons would probably reveal nothing more than a cherry tree incident.

No doubt it must be difficult to live the lives of a politician and have to read about oneself in the daily newspaper. Since the 19th century when political cartoons started making their way into the media much controversy has risen about them. Political cartoons are used daily to express ideas and opinions in ways in which words can not always do so. In the United States freedom of speech is sometimes tested, sometimes people have been charged with libel when printing information another person considers false. Political cartoons did not come about until around the 1870's so it is interesting that one can even find George Washington political cartoons on the internet.

"Too bad George Washington didn't have a previous party to blame". That comment is from a cartoon referring to today's presidents and their need to continue to blame the previous president and party for the demise of the United States and/or its policies. As previously stated, George Washington is not known for many scandals or personal problems so even the cartoons that exist using his name are usually referring to another time in history or another president and their current affairs. It would not be fair to claim that all of the cartoons involving George Washington are positive ones. There have been some George Washington political cartoons that reveal a questionable death caused by syphilis.

Without a doubt political cartoons can be funny. It is not always easy to figure out the message intended and sometimes cartoons can be read differently depending on the interpreter. Maybe it was the lack of existing technology that prohibited daily reports on George Washington. Maybe he really was a great man and deserves the lack of cartoon appearances; especially since most of today's political cartoons are negative. Whichever the case, perhaps it is comforting to know that children still remember him as the man that could not tell a lie.



Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about George Washington political cartoons [http://conservativesandliberalssite.info/george-washington-politica-cartoons-the-man-that-could-not-tell-a-lie/], please visit Conservatives and Liberals Site [http://conservativesandliberalssite.info/] for current articles and discussions.




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