Scolding a Striker
2/17/1918
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This cartoon, in which Uncle Sam scolds a striker, was published during walk-outs at Baltimore, Maryland, and Staten Island, New York, shipyards that were fulfilling contracts from the United States Shipping Board to build ships for the war effort.
The February 14 -18 strike reflected the tension between the demands of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners for higher wages and the wartime need for ships. President Woodrow Wilson denounced the strike for blocking the war effort, and newspaper editorials called for the strikers to be drafted into the military.
Following the strike, President Wilson established the National War Labor Board to create nation-wide labor policy during wartime. The cartoon illustrates the prevailing anti-strike attitudes of Americans. At a time when the government was encouraging the public to support the war effort, it showed strikes in war industries as being unpatriotic.
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.
The February 14 -18 strike reflected the tension between the demands of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners for higher wages and the wartime need for ships. President Woodrow Wilson denounced the strike for blocking the war effort, and newspaper editorials called for the strikers to be drafted into the military.
Following the strike, President Wilson established the National War Labor Board to create nation-wide labor policy during wartime. The cartoon illustrates the prevailing anti-strike attitudes of Americans. At a time when the government was encouraging the public to support the war effort, it showed strikes in war industries as being unpatriotic.
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: 6011349
Full Citation: Cartoon Q-031; Untitled; 2/17/1918; 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/scolding-striker, April 28, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.