By River Murphy Julian Charter School 1/10/14This Political Cartoon depicts the Mexican Eagle before and after the Mexican War. The Eagle represents the Mexican people as a nation. During the Mexican War, the Americans expanded westward and took over more and more land, pushing the Mexican border father and farther back west. Eventually, America had the land all the way to the west coast, having pushed the Mexican troops South to what is currently Mexico. This Political Cartoon depicts the effects of the Mexican War on the Mexican Eagle, which represents the Mexicans as a nation. In the first panel the Eagle looks strong, tough, and determined. It looks healthy and is perched atop a cactus, facing east, which is the direction from the Americans came. The second panel shows the same Mexican Eagle, but now all it's feathers are plucked, and its facing westward, which is the way the Mexicans ceded to. The expression on the Eagle is that of defeat, it looks drained of energy and will power, it's tongue even hanging out the side of its mouth. The cactus the Eagle was perched on has wilted and seemingly died. The way the eagles legs are stretched out rather than being tucked up comfortably like in the first picture, makes it look like the cactus dropped from under the Eagle while he was trying to stay up. All this represents the country loosing territory, strength, population, will power, etc. After many wars and much bloodshed, the Mexicans, being in the physical state represented by the Eagle, ceded, and the Americans Won.
By River Murphy Julian Charter School 1/10/14