American Revolution Political Cartoons: A Picture Says a Thousand Words: The Female Combatants

American Revolution political cartoons are pretty crazy by default, but “The Female Combatants,” really takes it to a whole different level. Originally published in the American colonies in 1776, it shows an aristocratic British woman engaging in fisticuffs with a younger, sprier, nakider America. A clear derivation of Columbia, the American woman sports a feathered headdress, skirt made of feathers, and no top. And, her rather pale, European-looking skin is covered in tattoos. In this way, she almost looks more like a Pictish warrior than a Native American.

But that’s just half of the insanity this amazing political cartoon brings to the table. In the speech bubbles over their heads, Britain attempts to scold America, telling her: “I’ll force you to obedience you Rebellious Slut.” Refusing to be slut shamed, American quickly retorts, “Liberty Liberty foreverMother while I exist.” Then, as Britain puts a fierce upper-cut to her daughter’s boob, America delivers a knuckle sandwich right to her scowling jaw line.

But the symbolism doesn’t end there. In the bottom left order, a shield with a compass drawn upon its front leans against the stump of a tree. A nod to Britain’s seafaring prowess, the compass shield rests upon a long piece of parchment that reads, “For Obedience.” In the opposite corner, America’s shield is emblazoned with a rooster and hanging from a tree that’s topped with a liberty cap. The rooster, or “Gallic cock,” represents France, who allied with the American colonies to send them semi-secret financial support from the get-go. The liberty cap is another reference to ancient Greece. In certain Greek city states, people who were politically free, but poor, wore these caps to distinguish themselves from the enslaved populations. It was an easy way to tell the authorities, “I’m not a slave.” Later, Europeans would adopts these “liberty caps” as a symbol of freedom. Finally, across a piece of parchment under America’s shield the artist scrawled the words, “For Liberty.”

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