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Title
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JM-167: Two crimes
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Summary
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This cartoon depicts the Lusitania, an American ocean liner destroyed by German naval forces in World War I on May 7, 1915. The ship was carrying American passengers and ammunition intended for the British armed forces. The top panel of the cartoon features the periscope of the German submarine spying on the Lusitania. Eventually the German submarine fired a torpedo, which killed 1,198 passengers aboard the ship. The bottom panel of the cartoon shows the 173 tons of ammunition carried on board the Lusitania and the innocent, most likely unaware passengers standing above it. The sinking of the Lusitania caused international outrage, but blame for the attack was passed back and forth between various parties. Many, particularly those in Great Britain, blamed the Germans who committed this attack. Others blamed the United States and the passengers, who ignored Germany’s repeated warning that any ship attempting to enter Great Britain would be subject to attack. Many, including journalists for the Chicago Tribune, claimed Great Britain was responsible for this tragedy. Great Britain had placed immense pressure on the United States to deliver arms, and the British government assured the Lusitania it would be protected from German attack. The Chicago Tribune featured an entire article placing responsibility for the sinking of the Lusitania on Great Britain. After detailing Great Britain’s interest in the Lusitania, the author of the article wrote, “England and England alone is to be held responsible for the loss of life because England lured Americans to death, hoping that the presence of Americans would protect the ship against German attack.” (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)
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JM-177: Winning the war
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Summary
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The cartoon depicts the personified Germany crawling his way across Europe during WWI, representing Germany’s military advances during the war. The top left panel is captioned, “words won’t win the war”. This meant words could not be used to cause the German surrender. The top right panel is captioned, “wishes won’t win the war”. The panel shows Americans watching Germany from across the Atlantic, wishing the German people would overthrow Kaiser Wilhelm II. The middle-left panel shows those same Americans shouting in outrage at the Germans over American deaths from the war. The panel is captioned, “wrath won’t win the war”. The middle-right panel shows Americans displaying the vast wealth available for a war effort. The panel is captioned, “wealth won’t the war”. The bottom panel shows the Germans finally being stopped after being hit with the butt of a gun. The panel is captioned, “But wallops will win the war!”. This cartoon suggests aggressive force was the only way for the United States to defeat Germany in WWI. This cartoon was created in 1917, and the US official participation in WWI was from 1916-1917. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)