? Slavery is Dead ?

A harsh contemporary critique of early Reconstruction efforts shortly after the Civil War.

This woodblock print for Harper’s Weekly was drawn by Thomas Nast and issued in the January 12, 1867 edition of the magazine. The sheet vividly depicts two horrific scenes from late 1866 in which African-Americans were treated like slaves for purposes of criminal punishment.

The left side, as explained by the text immediately below, shows a man named Jonas Johnson who was sold at public auction in Annapolis as a punishment for larceny. The right side shows an unnamed African American being whipped as a criminal punishment in North Carolina, while the text explains that the law preventing such sentencing was rescinded by a direct order of the governor.

Nast wanted to shed light on the gross injustices being experienced by African Americans in the period immediately after the Civil War, despite the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 had all been passed. His not-so-subtle inclusion of statues representing Justice in both scenes adds to the overall condemnation, as does the “State Rights” skeleton holding a gavel and flail at the bottom of the sheet.

Thomas Nast was a German-born editor and caricaturist who would eventually become known as the “Father of the American Cartoon.” Apart from his progressive ideas regarding race and Reconstruction, Nast is also known for his criticism of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall and the creation of the familiar character of Santa Claus. He drew cartoons for Harper’s Weekly for nearly 25 years, in addition to working for the New York Illustrated News, the Illustrated London News, and more throughout his illustrious career.