Uncle Sam-"Too late, my boys. I've already expanded."
9/14/1899
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In this cartoon, Uncle Sam’s expanded waistline is symbolic of the rapid pace of U.S. territorial expansion. A treaty adding Hawaii to the United States and victory over Spain brought the U.S. several new territories, including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines, all listed on the menu shown in the cartoon.
Worries over America’s new status as a colonial power were worsened by the independence movement in the Philippines that had changed from an anti-Spain to an anti-American war when the Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris on February 6, 1898.
America paid Spain $20 million to annex the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico, but the purchase only intensified the Philippine independence movement. President William McKinley and his supporters argued that the Philippine uprising needed to be crushed before any decisions could be made about the region’s future status. In the cartoon, the figures shown in the doorway represent the minority groups of Anti-Expansionist Republicans led by Senator George Hoar, and Anti-Imperialist Democrats led by William Jennings Bryan..
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.
Worries over America’s new status as a colonial power were worsened by the independence movement in the Philippines that had changed from an anti-Spain to an anti-American war when the Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris on February 6, 1898.
America paid Spain $20 million to annex the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico, but the purchase only intensified the Philippine independence movement. President William McKinley and his supporters argued that the Philippine uprising needed to be crushed before any decisions could be made about the region’s future status. In the cartoon, the figures shown in the doorway represent the minority groups of Anti-Expansionist Republicans led by Senator George Hoar, and Anti-Imperialist Democrats led by William Jennings Bryan..
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: 6010331
Full Citation: Cartoon F-026; Uncle Sam-'Too late, my boys. I've already expanded.'; 9/14/1899; Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896 - 1949; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/uncle-sam-too-late-ive-expanded, April 27, 2025]Rights: No Known Copyright Learn more on our privacy and legal page.