Thomas Nast: “The American River Ganges” Cartoon

The Images, Cartoons, and Other Visual Sources That Shaped America
Table of Contents
Thomas Nast: “The American River Ganges” Cartoon
Overview
About the Artist
Document Image
Context
Explanation and Analysis of the Document

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Abstract

“The American River Ganges” was a full-page editorial cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast and published in the September 30, 1871, issue of Harper’s Weekly and republished in the magazine in 1875. The cartoon was accompanied by an essay written by Eugene Lawrence. Lawrence, a frequent contributor to the magazine, was a nativist who blamed Catholics for what he saw as the demise of the public school system. He argued that “to destroy our free schools, and perhaps our free institutions has been for many years the constant aim of the extreme section of the Romish Church.”

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