FIRST POLITICAL CARTOON/ ILK POLITIK KARIKATÜR…

Benjamin Franklin’s woodcut from May 9, 1754.
From:  Newspaper Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress.

The English and French fought over control of the new lands in America. The battles they fought became known as the French and Indian War.  The war lasted from 1754-1763.  During this time, the British Army needed their colonists to unite to defend the colonies and help defeat the French. Benjamin Franklin published this print of a snake in his newspaper in 1754.  The picture was made from a carving in wood and was reprinted in newspapers throughout the colonies. We call this sketch a political cartoon. This is believed to be the first political cartoon printed in America. Political cartoons are not always humorous.  They are drawn to show the reader how the creator of the cartoon feels about a topic or issue.

Ýngiliz ve Fransýzlar Amerika’daki yeni topraklarýn kontrolü için savaþtýlar. Bu savaþlar Fransýz ve kýzýlderili savaþlarý olarak bilindi. Savaþ 1754-1763 yýllarý arasýnda oldu. Bu süreçte Ýngiliz ordusu Fransýzlarý yenebilmek için kolonilerini birleþtirmek zorunda kaldý. Benjamin Franklin, 1754 tarihli gazetesinde bu “yýlan” figürünü yayýmladý. Bu çalýþma bir aðaç oyuðu içine yapýlmýþ ve kolonilerdeki gazetelerde basýlmýþtýr. Bu çalýþmanýn, Amerika’da yayýmlanan “ilk poliltik karikatür” olduðu sanýlmaktadýr. Politik karikatürler mizahi deðildirler. Okuyucuya, karikatüristin bir konu hakkýndaki düþüncesini anlatmak amacýyla çizilirler.