Secession political cartoon
About this illustration
Published by Currier & Ives, New York, circa 1861.
- Date created
- c. 1861
- License
- This work is believed to be in the public domain. Users are advised to make their own copyright assessment and to understand their rights to fair use.
- Source
- Original image housed by Library of Congress
See this illustration in context
- North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction: Primary sources and readings explore North Carolina during the Civil War and Reconstruction (1860–1876). Topics include debates over secession, battles and strategies, the war in North Carolina, the soldier's experience, the home front, freedom and civil rights for former slaves, Reconstruction, and the "redemption" of the state by conservatives. (Page 1.2)
Related media
Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for Alabama, Civil War, Florida, Georgia, history, Louisiana, Mississippi, political cartoons, secession, and South Carolina.
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
A political cartoon, drawn circa 1861, depicts southern secession. The cartoon shows Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana as men riding donkeys, following South Carolina’s lead toward a cliff. The rider carrying the Georgia flag rides down a hill, saying, “We have some doubts about ‘the end’ of that road and think it expedient to deviate a little.”
South Carolina rides a pig and reaches a butterfly “Secession Humbug,” saying, “We go the whole hog. — Old Hickory [Andrew Jackson] is dead, and now we’ll have it.” Florida, just behind South Carolina, shouts, “Go it Carolina! we are the boys to ‘wreck’ the Union.” Next follows Alabama, who declares, “We go it blind, Cotton is King!’” Mississippi says, “Down with the Union! Missippi ‘repudiates her bonds.’” The last rider is Louisiana, who says, “Go it boys! We’ll soon taste the ’sweets’ of secession,” a reference to the state’s domination of the sugar trade.
The reference to Jackson refers to the nullification crisis of the 1830s, in which South Carolina threatened to secede if President Jackson tried to enforce federal tariffs in the state.
