Answer:
The Uncle Sam from the Judge is depicted chronologically, showing the maturation and then growth of the U.S. with his weight, which coincides with the increasing square mileage of the nation and its territories. The chronology begins in 1783, the year in which the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War, granting the U.S. its sovereignty. At this point, Uncle Sam is shown as a helpless, but optimistic looking toddler representing 349,845 square miles in 13 states. From there, Uncle Sam grows into a young boy with an axe in 1803, a soldier with a musket in 1819, and a middle-aged man in 1861 with a top hat and goatee. In 1898 Uncle Sam is looking more corpulent, representing 48 states and territories, including Hawaii, totaling roughly 3,601,270 square miles. Finally, in 1899, the year in which the U.S. gained Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam and Samoa from Spain after a quick and decisive war, Uncle Sam appears absolutely bloated. In this depiction Victor Gillam is clearly showing that U.S. expansionism has merely been a process of maturation, from a small toddler to a stout, confident-looking old man, “showing how Uncle Sam has been an expansionist first, last, and all the time,” reads the caption. This Uncle Sam surely represents all the excesses of successful capitalism. Nothing in this cartoon points to the negative side effects of the U.S.’s rampant expansionism, showing only how the U.S. has led a healthy, bountiful life. Dairymple’s 1899 depiction of Uncle Sam is quite different, far from overweight; this man is gaunt and towers menacingly over his class. He is undoubtedly portraying Uncle Sam and U.S. expansionism negatively. However, an analysis of Uncle Sam’s relationship with the other characters in this cartoon is more relevant to determining the artist’s message.
Step-by-step explanation: