As Inseparable as Ruth and Naomi
3/2/1900
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A fierce debate about U.S. expansion continued for years after America’s war with Spain. Discussing the future of any territory renewed arguments about its status and that of its residents.
This cartoon was published as Congress debated a bill to impose a tariff on sugar grown in Puerto Rico. Imposing a tariff suggested that the island should have a permanent colonial status, while enacting a free trade policy suggested that the island was on a path to statehood.
The cartoonist proclaims the indivisible link of the Constitution and the flag through his reference to the tale of faithful companionship told in the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi, where Naomi pledged to follow her mother-in-law Ruth wherever she went. This cartoon identifies the cartoonist with the position of expansionists who favored extending U.S. citizenship to territorial residents. Commercial expansionists, by contrast, favored U.S. ownership of land without extending citizenship.
A third powerful faction in the debate, the Anti-Expansionists, opposed holding colonies altogether, claiming that adding territorial possessions and people transformed the United States into an empire and went against the anti-colonial founding spirit of the American republic.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
This cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
This cartoon was published as Congress debated a bill to impose a tariff on sugar grown in Puerto Rico. Imposing a tariff suggested that the island should have a permanent colonial status, while enacting a free trade policy suggested that the island was on a path to statehood.
The cartoonist proclaims the indivisible link of the Constitution and the flag through his reference to the tale of faithful companionship told in the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi, where Naomi pledged to follow her mother-in-law Ruth wherever she went. This cartoon identifies the cartoonist with the position of expansionists who favored extending U.S. citizenship to territorial residents. Commercial expansionists, by contrast, favored U.S. ownership of land without extending citizenship.
A third powerful faction in the debate, the Anti-Expansionists, opposed holding colonies altogether, claiming that adding territorial possessions and people transformed the United States into an empire and went against the anti-colonial founding spirit of the American republic.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
This cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate .
National Archives Identifier: 6010344
Full Citation: Cartoon U-064; As Inseparable as Ruth and Naomi; 3/2/1900; Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896-1949; Records of the U.S. Senate , Record Group 46 ; National Archives Building, Washington DC, 20408. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/inseparable-ruth-naomi, April 23, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.