“American Tariff Policy” The political cartoon “American Tariff Policy,” was published in August of 1930 in the Swiss satirical magazine, Nebelspalter. The cartoon depicts Uncle Sam sleeping quite comfortably behind a brick fortress. He’s unbothered by three ships that are approaching the fortress. Behind him is the city of Manhattan, the home of the New York Stock Exchange. The stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, also known as Black Tuesday. Billions of dollars were lost. Many investors lost everything they had. The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1941, a period in which the United States economy floundered and unemployment was at an alltime high. The United States tried to solve these problems by implementing an isolationist foreign
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The fortress was made with the intent of keeping other nations out. Congress passed the Hawley-Smoot Tariff in 1930, which raised prices on foreign imports. The goal was to protect American industries from foreign competition. Americans began to buy fewer foreign products, which infuriated European nations. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff encouraged European nations to raise their own tariffs against American goods. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff only added to the problems of the Great Depression. The high protective tariffs closed markets around the globe. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff played an important role in destroying international trade. Although the main goal of the tariff was to regulate the American economy, it furthered cemented the idea of the United States as an isolationist nation.
The United States utilized isolationism as a solution to get out the Great Depression, which is illustrated in the political cartoon. Although isolationism presented the United States with the opportunity focus its own economic problems, it only magnified the impact of the Great Depression. The United States unintentionally demolished international trade, turned away potential business partners, while simultaneously ignoring world affairs. These issues are portrayed in the cartoon as the brick fortress, the three boats, and the nonchalant Uncle Sam
The fortress was made with the intent of keeping other nations out. Congress passed the Hawley-Smoot Tariff in 1930, which raised prices on foreign imports. The goal was to protect American industries from foreign competition. Americans began to buy fewer foreign products, which infuriated European nations. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff encouraged European nations to raise their own tariffs against American goods. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff only added to the problems of the Great Depression. The high protective tariffs closed markets around the globe. The Hawley-Smoot Tariff played an important role in destroying international trade. Although the main goal of the tariff was to regulate the American economy, it furthered cemented the idea of the United States as an isolationist nation.
The United States utilized isolationism as a solution to get out the Great Depression, which is illustrated in the political cartoon. Although isolationism presented the United States with the opportunity focus its own economic problems, it only magnified the impact of the Great Depression. The United States unintentionally demolished international trade, turned away potential business partners, while simultaneously ignoring world affairs. These issues are portrayed in the cartoon as the brick fortress, the three boats, and the nonchalant Uncle Sam