Political cartoon “Young Canada Delighted with Responsible Government”
Painting
Image
Video
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Activities
LOOK
Look at this cartoon. Canada is represented as a baby. What do you think the artist is trying to say about the people of Canada and about responsible government?
LOOK
Look at this cartoon. What do you think is the main message? Read the historical context below to verify your answer.
THINK
Are cartoons still an effective way of making a political statement? How has social media changed how people receive and process information? Discuss with a partner.
THINK
How have political cartoons changed over time? How have they stayed the same? Look online for examples, from a variety of time periods, to back up your answers.
DO
Create a cartoon or meme for a cause that is important to you.
Details
Date February 3, 1849
Materials - Paper
- Ink
Transcript
Young Canada
Delighted with Responsible Government
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- This cartoon suggests that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate” made up of people too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions.
- It uses images of a baby, a nanny and a puppet to explain the relationship between Canada, reformer Robert Baldwin and Governor General Lord Elgin.
Crown-appointed members of local conservative elites, or Tories, believed that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate”: a group too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions. In this political cartoon from 1849, the artist captures this idea by representing Canada as a child being entertained by its nanny. But, not just any nanny, this one has the face of political reformer Robert Baldwin.
Look closely and you’ll see that “Nanny Baldwin” is holding a marionette of Governor General Lord Elgin, who supported the responsible government put in place by Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine. Baldwin is pulling the strings of, that is, controlling, the Governor General: the Queen’s representative in Canada.
Crown-appointed members of local conservative elites, or Tories, believed that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate”— one that was too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions. In this political cartoon from 1849, the artist captures this idea by representing Canada as a child being entertained by its nanny.
Instead of presenting a generic nanny, the artist gave her the face of political reformer Robert Baldwin who, with Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, had introduced responsible government.
Look closely and you’ll see that “Nanny Baldwin” is holding a marionette of Governor General Lord Elgin, who supported Baldwin and La Fontaine’s responsible government. Baldwin is pulling the strings of the Governor General: the Queen’s representative in Canada.
Other symbols include an imperial crown on the floor near a book entitled Lafontaine’s Fables, and a dollhouse named Monklands, which was the name of the estate Lord Elgin used while serving as Governor General between 1847 and 1854. The French caption, Ici on parlent [sic] français, meaning “Here we speak French,” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Lord Elgin supporting Baldwin and La Fontaine’s government, which made French an official language and compensated Loyalists and rebels for property losses in the 1837–1838 rebellions.
- This cartoon suggests that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate” made up of people too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions.
- It uses images of a baby, a nanny and a puppet to explain the relationship between Canada, reformer Robert Baldwin and Governor General Lord Elgin.
Crown-appointed members of local conservative elites, or Tories, believed that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate”: a group too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions. In this political cartoon from 1849, the artist captures this idea by representing Canada as a child being entertained by its nanny. But, not just any nanny, this one has the face of political reformer Robert Baldwin.
Look closely and you’ll see that “Nanny Baldwin” is holding a marionette of Governor General Lord Elgin, who supported the responsible government put in place by Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine. Baldwin is pulling the strings of, that is, controlling, the Governor General: the Queen’s representative in Canada.
Crown-appointed members of local conservative elites, or Tories, believed that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate”— one that was too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions. In this political cartoon from 1849, the artist captures this idea by representing Canada as a child being entertained by its nanny.
Instead of presenting a generic nanny, the artist gave her the face of political reformer Robert Baldwin who, with Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, had introduced responsible government.
Look closely and you’ll see that “Nanny Baldwin” is holding a marionette of Governor General Lord Elgin, who supported Baldwin and La Fontaine’s responsible government. Baldwin is pulling the strings of the Governor General: the Queen’s representative in Canada.
Other symbols include an imperial crown on the floor near a book entitled Lafontaine’s Fables, and a dollhouse named Monklands, which was the name of the estate Lord Elgin used while serving as Governor General between 1847 and 1854. The French caption, Ici on parlent [sic] français, meaning “Here we speak French,” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Lord Elgin supporting Baldwin and La Fontaine’s government, which made French an official language and compensated Loyalists and rebels for property losses in the 1837–1838 rebellions.
Summary
- This cartoon suggests that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate” made up of people too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions.
- It uses images of a baby, a nanny and a puppet to explain the relationship between Canada, reformer Robert Baldwin and Governor General Lord Elgin.
Essential
Crown-appointed members of local conservative elites, or Tories, believed that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate”: a group too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions. In this political cartoon from 1849, the artist captures this idea by representing Canada as a child being entertained by its nanny. But, not just any nanny, this one has the face of political reformer Robert Baldwin.
Look closely and you’ll see that “Nanny Baldwin” is holding a marionette of Governor General Lord Elgin, who supported the responsible government put in place by Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine. Baldwin is pulling the strings of, that is, controlling, the Governor General: the Queen’s representative in Canada.
In-Depth
Crown-appointed members of local conservative elites, or Tories, believed that responsible government had empowered an “immature electorate”— one that was too naive and inexperienced to make good decisions. In this political cartoon from 1849, the artist captures this idea by representing Canada as a child being entertained by its nanny.
Instead of presenting a generic nanny, the artist gave her the face of political reformer Robert Baldwin who, with Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine, had introduced responsible government.
Look closely and you’ll see that “Nanny Baldwin” is holding a marionette of Governor General Lord Elgin, who supported Baldwin and La Fontaine’s responsible government. Baldwin is pulling the strings of the Governor General: the Queen’s representative in Canada.
Other symbols include an imperial crown on the floor near a book entitled Lafontaine’s Fables, and a dollhouse named Monklands, which was the name of the estate Lord Elgin used while serving as Governor General between 1847 and 1854. The French caption, Ici on parlent [sic] français, meaning “Here we speak French,” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Lord Elgin supporting Baldwin and La Fontaine’s government, which made French an official language and compensated Loyalists and rebels for property losses in the 1837–1838 rebellions.