The content included in this source may be disturbing to some viewers and/or contain outdated language. The box in the cartoon says “Fusion Ballot Box.” Norman Jennett was a North Carolina native and political cartoonist who worked for the Democratic newspaper in Raleigh, the News and Observer, and particularly focused on insulting Republicans, Populists and African Americans. For several months leading up to the 1898 election, a Jennett cartoon appeared on the front page of the newspaper almost every day.
Citation: Jennett, Norman. “The Vampire that Hovers Over North Carolina.” Raleigh News and Observer, September 27, 1898. https://exhibits.lib.unc.edu/exhibits/show/1898/item/2215. Accessed 19 June 2023.
Questions
- Why do you think the artist chose a vampire to represent “negro rule”? What is the “vampire” grasping and how does it connect to the artist’s idea of “negro rule”?
- What is the artist saying about the relationship between the fusion ballot box and the “vampire”?
- Who does the artist assume his audience is and how does he intend them to feel after seeing this cartoon?
