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HarpWeek Commentary:
The illustrations of Thomas Nast contain frequent allusions to Shakespearean plays, which
were familiar to most Americans. In the center panel, he shows Andrew Johnson as Iago and
a black Union veteran as Othello. Johnsons slogans "Treason is a crime and must
be made odious" and "I am your Moses" are on the wall. At the top left is
the riot in Memphis and at the top right the riot in New Orleans. In the bottom panel, Johnson is charming the
Confederate Copperhead snake with his Constitution flute as Secretary of State William
Seward, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton stand by.
The bottom left panel shows General
Benjamin Butler accepting the Confederate surrender of New Orleans in 1862, while the
bottom right shows the military commander, General Philip Sheridan, bowing to Louisiana
Attorney General Andrew Herron in 1866. A flurry of pardons is shown in the center left
and a flurry of vetoes in the center right. |
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RECONSTRUCTION AND HOW IT WORKS
September 1, 1866, pages 552 553 (cartoon)
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Text from
"Reconstruction and How It Works," Thomas Nast Illustration: Left Side:
Iago. The Moor is of a free and open
nature,
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so;
And will as tenderly be led by the nose,
As asses
Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me,
For making him egregiously an ass,
And practicing upon his peace and quiet
Even to madness. Tis here, but yet confusd;
Knaverys plain face is never seen, till usd
Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains,
Yet, for necessity of present life,
I must show out a flag and sign of love;
Which is indeed but sign
Then devils will their blackest sins put on,
They do suggest at first with heavenly shows,
As I do now
I humbly do beseech you of your pardon,
For too much loving you
I hope, you will consider, what is spoke
Comes from my love;But, I do see you are movd:
I am to pray you, not to strain my speech
To grosser issues, nor to larger reach
Than to suspicion
O grace! O heaven defend me!
Are you a man? Have you a soul, or
sense?
God be wi you; take mine office.O wretched fool,
That livst to make thine honesty a vice!
O monstrous world! Take note, take note, O world!
To be direct and honest, is not safe.
I thank you for this profit; and, from hence,
Ill love no friend, since love breeds such offense
Work on,
My medicine, work!
Othello.
Right Side:
"I have been accused of being inimical to the true
interests of the colored people but this is not true. I am one of their best
friends; and time, which tries and tests all, will demonstrate the fact
I once said I
would be the Moses of your people, and lead them on to libertyliberty they now
have
I have been blamed for vetoing the Freedmens Bureau Bill, and have been
also represented to the colored people as having done it because I was their enemy. This
is not true
The ordinary course of judicial proceedings is no longer interrupted. The
courts, both State and Federal, are in full, complete, and successful operation, and
through them every person, regardless of race and color, is entitled to and can be hear.
The protection granted to the white citizen is already conferred by law upon the
freedman
.It can not be expected that men who have for four years been made familiar
with the blood and carnage of war, who have suffered the loss of property, and in so many
instances reduced from affluence to poverty, can at once assume the calm demeanor and
action of those citizens of the country whose worldly possessions have not been destroyed,
and whose political hopes have not been blasted, and the worst view of this subject
affords no parallel in violence to similar outrages that have followed all civil
commotions, always less in magnitude than ours. But I do not believe that this
to-be-regretted state of things will last long." Andrew Johnson.
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Articles Related to the Initial Impeachment
Discussions:
The President Judged by Himself
August 25, 1866, page 530
Reconstruction and How
it Works (cartoon)
September 1, 1866, pages 552-553
Which Is The More
Illegal (cartoon)
September 8, 1866, page 569
The New Orleans Report
October 20, 1866, page 658
The New Orleans Massacre
IMarch 30, 1867, page 202
Text from Illustration of Andys Trip
October 27, 1866, pages 680-681
The Great Campaign of
66
September 29, 1866, page 610
What Next?
October 27, 1866, page 674
King Andy (cartoon)
November 3, 1866 page 696
Shall the President be
Impeached?
November 3, 1866, page 690
The Popular Will
November 24, 1866, page 738
Andy Makes a Call on
Uncle Sam, Who Rises to the Occasion (cartoon)
December 1, 1866, page 768
Impeachment and General
Butler
December 15, 1866, page 786
Congress
December 22, 1866, page 803
What Next?
December 29, 1866, page 818
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