Blog #168 – Looking at the Spanish American War through a gender lens
Throughout the year, we use different lens with which to analyze certain events – we can analyze events or people’s actions through an economic lens or a political lens or a social / cultural lens. During our Reconstruction unit, we used a racial lens to look at how Reconstruction policies affected free Blacks. Now, we turn to American imperialism and instead of analyzing American foreign policy, or our relationship with other nations, through a diplomatic lens or a commercial lens, I am asking you to use the lens of gender to explore the Spanish American War. This angle was originally presented by historian Kristin Hoganson in 1998. To help you answer the questions raised by this blog, you’ll need to have read the article, “En-Gendering the Spanish American War”.
The question that this gender lens attempts to ask is, is there another way of looking at the causes of the Spanish-American War?
First, some context for Teddy Roosevelt’s charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the war. He was part of a generation of Americans who were raised on glorious tales of Civil War gallantry told by the veterans of the war. TR’s generation of men aspired to have their own fight where they could test their courage and honor, and the Spanish American War provided such a chance hopefully without the grizzly slaughter of four years of a civil war. Also, TR’s father had not fought in the Civil War being too busy making money (and also paid a substitute to take his place). Furthermore, TR grew up as a very sickly, asthmatic child who was very fragile until he reinvented himself in his 20s out on the Great Plains in North Dakota raising cattle in the summers. It’s likely he never thought that when he was a boy listening to stories of valor at Gettysburg would he get a chance to do the same thing and face an enemy with bullets flying at him. Lastly, when the war started, TR resigned his post in the McKinley administration as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to form his own militia unit for the war which was dubbed by the press, “the Rough Riders” but he called this militia unit the Children of the Dragon’s Blood. TR would also later go on to defend what he would call “the strenuous life” which included playing manly sports, continual exertion, challenging nature through hunting and exploration, cleaning up corruption, busting trusts, and waving around the ultimate symbol of his manhood, his “big stick” in the international arena.
So why did America come to the defense of the Cubans in 1898? The article lists the following possible reasons:
- commercial rewards of empire
- an extension of a global Manifest Destiny
- a quest for naval bases
- humanitarian concerns for the Cubans
- a chance to enact some Christian “uplift” for the people who are “freed”
- glory
- revenge for the destruction of the U.S.S. Maine
- motivated / inspired / enraged by yellow journalism in the newspapers of Hearst and Pulitzer
But the article proposed another cause – a crisis of upper and middle class white manhood. There seemed to be threats to traditional notions of manhood all around – the creature comforts of an industrial America were making men “soft” and “sluggish”; making money by bending or breaking ethical norms seemed to corrode the traditional manly sense of honor and integrity; some men lost their jobs, their self-respect, and their independence and vitality because of the Depression of 1893; but possibly most shocking was the rise of the “New Woman” who wanted the right to vote and participate in politics (traditionally the man’s responsibility). In this new era, women’s virtue was considered by many to be superior to men’s because of all the economic, social, and political problems that men’s “virtue” had caused from 1865-1898 that the Progressive Era would try to solve was trying to solve. I mean, let’s remember that many middle and upper class white women were leading the reformist charge during that era.
Let’s take a look at another cartoon from this time period. Here’s a cartoon from Puck (which is normally anti-imperialist compared to its counterpart, Judge).
Done by artist Louis Dalrymple, published in May, 1898. The caption reads, “The duty of the hour – to save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate.” After reading this article, I’d like you to interpret this cartoon through the gendered lens mentioned in the article.
Your job – answer the following questions:
- Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
- What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
- Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
A minimum of 400 words total for all three answers. Due by class on March 21.
An article on how the Span-Am War led to American empire – https://www.bunkhistory.org/resources/1785
An analysis of the American / British alliance that grew out of the Span-Am War as shown in cartoons – https://visualizingcultures.mit.edu/civilization_and_barbarism/cb_essay02.html
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I agree with the author of the article that the widespread view of gender roles at the time, particularly among white men, contributed greatly to the push for unsolicited intervention in foreign affairs during this period, especially pertaining to the Spanish American war. As stated in the text, military leaders such as Teddy Roosevelt went into battle with a manly, gritty attitude, eager to display their chivalry, honor, and American patriotism. One provided anecdote even tells of an instance in which Roosevelt rode into battle alone, so passionate about proving his strength that he completely left his men in the dust. I also believe that the American foreign policy of aggressive intervention comes from a place of masculine pride and male political leaders seeking to dominate and spread their ideals across the world. This new American surge of masculinity was definitely in response to rapid industrialization and the “softening” of men, loss of self-respect following the depression of 1893, corruption due to thirst for money, and the arrival of women to the political scene. All these developments contributed to the sudden hunger of American men for a chance to appear strong like the generations that came before them.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
This lens ties in the various different attitudes of Americans towards the issue of war in Cuba and the Philippines, as well as taking into account the social developments that may seem somewhat unrelated at first glance. Concepts such as gender do indeed play a huge role in the actions and thoughts of historical figures, and it’s important to examine these ideas when exploring an influential past event such as the Spanish American war. On the other hand, this lens draws attention away from another crucial point concerning the event: the white supremacist ideals of many Americans, Manifest Destiny, and the need to spread democracy, Christianity, and “civilization” to those deemed lesser than, a theme that originated long before this period of American history. While gender is indeed a very important factor in the developments occurring around this time, race and culture play a very important role as well that cannot be overlooked.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
This Puck cartoon depicts a Cuban woman in the frying pan of Spanish misrule being held above the flames of anarchy. The caption makes it clear that the duty rests upon Americans to rescue a fragile Cuba from the terrors Spain has allegedly inflicted upon them, as well as complete chaos. The choice to portray Cuba as a woman with seemingly no agency over her situation is a perfect example of the way stereotypical gender roles were emphasized in cartoons during that time period, with more feminine characters often representing a helpless damsel in need of saving. Femininity could also be used to allude to weakness in a male public figure, but that does not seem to be the angle used here. Connecting to the greater theme at play, the purpose of this cartoon is to fire up viewers and persuade them to support war against Spain. By feeding into men’s need to be seen as chivalrous and brave with the powerless, feminine presentation of Cuba, the artist effectively plays into the social norms and goals concerning gender at the time.
1: I believe that gender roles played a huge part in figuring out the causes of the Spanish-American War. Since the last major war had been years prior, men wanted to prove themselves and their masculinity because they had become lazy due to the industrial age. The rise of the ‘New Women” was another reason for men to feel the need to prove themselves. Women had finally gained the right to vote and had been more a part of the political scene. This made it seem that men were becoming less important in society. This caused men to jump at any possibility of war, especially when there was conflict in Spain. After all “true men” go to war to protect the principles of chivalry and the women who embody them. Men going out into war forced women to return to tending to their houses and kids. This enforced the masculinity of men and lessened the worth of women.
2: One of the strengths of this lens is that it allows for different perspectives on war and the changing societal standards of the time. You see the reasoning behind the war from the men’s perspective and the constant change in women’s contribution to society. You can apply this same lens to other historical events in America, not just the Spanish-American War. One of the weaknesses of this lens is not the different perspectives but how narrow the perspectives are. There are multiple other reasons why the Spanish-American War started. Causes might include a global extension of Manifest Destiny, growing their navy to block European imperialism, etc. But this lens only explains one reason. This could misguide readers into thinking the only reason why the war started was because of men’s bruised egos.
3: The cartoon of the Cuban woman includes a woman in a frying pan waving a Cuban flag. The frying pan she’s in is labeled “Spanish Misrule”. The pan is being held above the flames of a land. The flames are labeled “anarchy”. The flames are in between what seems to be two different camps. The woman in the frying pan represents the fact that Spain did not rule Cuba fairly which is implied by the text on the pan. It seems that it’s a man holding the pan which signifies that the man is trying to assimilate the Cuban women into American culture. This would only result in them doing the common chores of cooking and cleaning while the men can be left to war hence the land on fire with the words “anarchy” and the two different camps. This clearly shows the different gender roles and the previously talked about lens in this interpretation and cartoon.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I both agree and disagree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War. I agree because the article speaks of how Teddy Roosevelt’s generation of men had wanted to show their strength by defending their country because they hadn’t yet had the opportunity due to how long it had been since the United States had had a major conflict with another nation. Many political cartoons were made of people who were opposed to the war and depicted them with feminine features. This made many men want to come forward and fight to prove that they weren’t what was being depicted in these types of cartoons. This led to an increased desire to fight for their country and to participate in the war effort. Which is one way that I do agree with the articles interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War. But, on the other hand, I do also believe that there were many other causes for the Spanish-American war, not just gender, or even just men. In order for two countries to go to war there has to be more to the conflict than just one country having men wanting to fight for the country, there has to be some form of conflict between the two countries. And in this case that conflict was over the Spanish rule over Cuba.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
Many strengths and weaknesses come along with analyzing information from the perspective of a gender lens. One strength of this type of interpretation is that it allows for two or more different perspectives of an event that can be compared to each other which may lead to the person learning more information about the event. Viewing a situation or event in history through different gender lenses can lead to more details being learned. For example, if you were to look at one event in history such as the American Revolution from the perspective of a woman you may learn different information than you do through the perspective of a man. But, on the other hand, viewing an event from a gender lens has the weakness of using this lens is that if you were to only think of the event or use the lens from the perspective of one gender without going back and viewing it from another perspective you are only viewing a very small portion of a much larger picture. This may cause some details to be missed which would not allow for someone to fully understand what they are studying.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
While analyzing the cartoon of the Cuban woman in a frying pan from a gendered lens I saw a woman in a frying pan that has “Spanish Misrule” written on it. She was holding the pan over flames which had the word “Anarchy” written within them. Next to this fire on two opposite sides are two separate camps. I think that the pan and fire are there to represent the unfair and poor ruling that Spain had over Cuba prior to the Spanish-American War. I think that the person who is holding the pan is a man holding her over where the men may fight the war over Cuba due to Spain’s poor ruling over it.
I think gender roles had an impact on why the Spanish-American War began. The roles of white men in the war came from cartoons portraying gender roles and saying that only “real men” fought in the wars, while people who were against fighting in wars were like women. Also, after the Depression of 1893, men lost their jobs, self-respect, their independence, and vitality leading them to want to earn that back by fighting in the war. Historians have also pointed, from various quotes and documents during the times, that the war between the Spaniards and the Americans was a “crisis of manhood” putting politics at a bad area by the end of the century. “New Woman” also had a part in this war threatening to emasculate men as women started to take on politics.
The strength of using this lens is to give men a chance to earn their honor back or become more chivalrous and actually want to fight for their country. Another strength of this lens is that it shows the various views of this war and the way people were taking on different social roles during this time period. The social change for men was wanting to be seen as greater people again and seen as super masculine, while women were trying to get a role in politics and be able to vote. This can also be seen during World War Two when a ton of young men would volunteer to join the army because it looked super manly. The weakness of this lens is that it portrays men as people who should be better and stronger than women and they take on greater risks, while women stay in the safety of their country and take all the men’s jobs because they are open due to the men fighting for the safety of their country or for the taking of another.
I interpret the cartoon as an after-effect of what men thought would happen if women were in total control of politics while the men were fighting for Cuba. There is a hand in the sky holding a pan that says “Spanish Misrule” probably meaning the women are an ingredient in the Spanish war and they need protection from the Spanish but also she is being held above a fire which could also mean she is also needing to be saved from a burning anarchy that is going to be left behind after the war. The village that is on fire with the words that read “anarchy” means that when women try to take over in politics while the men are out fighting, everything will fall apart and burst into ruin because they think women don’t know how to handle politics that have been dominantly run by men.
I think when looking at the causes of a war, it is important to point out what the possible rewards could be or what motivation the attacker (or defendant) could have. In this case, I think the main causes for the US defending Cuba are most likely economic or expansionist, but were heavily influenced by the rise of the “New Woman”. With what the men had voted for in the years before this (1865-1898) having failed to comply with the goals of the Progressive Movement, it left room for women voters to share their ideas about the issues. These women’s opinions on the matter were for the first time actually considered and served to actually influence decision makers in the country. A strength of using the lens of gender on a war and its causes is that we can really isolate and point out how gender differences were still present and if they were less frequent, how women could now use their power and influence to change things. Another strength of using this is that we can see how useful all the efforts of early feminists and people advocating for women’s rights were. A weakness of using this lens looking at the war is that we could be confusing certain issues or causes and applying them to gender. For example, you could say that one of the causes of the war: “humanitarian concerns for the Cubans” was pushed forward by women, even if a lot of men also may have wanted this. The political cartoon “The duty of the hour to save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate” by Louis Dalrymple shows a Cuban woman in a pan that says “Spanish Misrule”, cooking over the chaos of the island of Cuba that says “anarchy”. Looking at the title of the cartoon as well, we can assume that it is meant to show the American people what their duty is to the Cuban women, to save them from Spain but also from anarchy.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I agree with the author that the general understanding of gender roles at the time—especially among white men—played a significant influence in the push for unwelcome foreign action during this time, particularly with due to the Spanish American War. As mentioned in the text, military leaders like Teddy Roosevelt went into combat with a tough, manly behavior, willing to prove their bravery, honor, and loyalty to their country. A personal account was presented which even describes a time when Roosevelt rode into battle by himself, driven by a desire to prove his skill and leave his men behind. In my opinion, male political leaders who aspire to rule and spread their beliefs around the globe are the source of the aggressive foreign policy of the United States. This new wave of men in America was undoubtedly a reaction to the country’s fast industrialization, their loss of dignity after the Great Depression of 1893, and the entry of women into politics. The sudden desire on the part of American males to look tough and like the generations that came before them was influenced by all these events.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
This lens considers issues in society that might initially appear to be unrelated, as well as the different viewpoints held by Americans regarding the conflict in Cuba and the Philippines. It’s vital to look at concepts like gender while analyzing a significant historical event like the Spanish American War since they do affect historical figures’ views and behaviors. However, this lens obscures another important aspect of the event, which is the widespread belief held by many Americans in white supremacist ideology, Manifest Destiny, and the necessity of bringing democracy, Christianity, and “civilization” to those who are inferior to them. These ideas existed prior to this particular period of American history. Race and culture also play significant roles that cannot be ignored in the advancements that are taking place at this time, even if gender is undoubtedly a major element.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
This Puck cartoon shows a Cuban woman being carried above the flames of anarchy in the frying pan of Spanish misrule. The caption makes it very clear that Americans have a responsibility to save a weak Cuba from the terrors that Spain is said to have imposed upon them, as well as from total chaos. The decision to depict Cuba as helpless in need of saving and to emphasize her lack of control over their circumstances is an excellent example of how traditional gender roles were emphasized in cartoons at the time. Although that doesn’t seem to be the approach here, gender could also be utilized to hint to vulnerability in a public figure who is male. In line with the overall idea, the cartoon seeks to stir up viewers’ emotions and convince them to back a war against Spain. The artist skillfully plays into the gender conventions and desires of the period by appealing to men’s need to be considered bold and brave while showing Cuba as helpless and feminine.
1. I agree that gender roles played a huge part in the causes of the Spanish American war. I think that the men of this particular generation (and still today) wanted to assert and prove their masculinity. It had been quite awhile since the U.S. had been in a war, and their joining helped to further prove their point. Along with these internal thoughts and feelings, many political cartoons depicted men who did not want to join the war as womanly or with feminine features. Another reason for this was because women were actively gaining more rights at the time, like the right to vote, and also playing a more active role in politics. These things could have felt like a threat to masculinity at their superiority over women.
2. A weakness of using this lens is that it could start to take away from some of the other very real and important aspects of the Spanish American War. Americans and the government had a very strong sense of Manifest Destiny and the want to spread democracy among other reasons. This is a very narrow viewpoint and I believe that if you get too caught up in it you ignore other parts of the causes of the war like white supremacy. A strength of using this lens is how we see the developments as a nation through reform. It puts into perspective how many historical things are more intertwined than you would think when you first see or hear them, and also helps to connect them. It also proves how big of a role gender has in society, not just in everyday life but also in large scale change.
3. As I analyzed the cartoon of the Cuban woman holding the frying pan through a gendered lens I noticed that the pan has the words “Spanish Misrule” written on them. This pan is being held over a burning fire, which spells out the word “anarchy”, which I take to mean that the cartoonist is against, and wants to stop. The woman in the frying pan is trying to represent how unfair the Spanish rule over Cuba really was. The man holding the frying pan with a woman in it could mean quite a few different things, but how I see it is that women were left to do household chores like cooking and cleaning as the men were sent off to fight in the war.
I do agree with this interpretation. I think that the idea that the men wanted to go to war more than women is a good interpretation. In the past, it was very common for the men to want to prove their worth and try to prove that they are powerful. I think that by fighting in a war, they thought that they were showing their strength, and showing how brave they were. This can help explain how gender played a role in who wanted to go to war and who did not, leading to the beginning of the war. If the war had not been supported by the citizens, there would have been a less likely chance that it would have occurred. However, because of the men’s need to prove their worth, they wanted to fight the war despite how it would affect the country. I think that a strength of using this lens is getting to see the thoughts of someone with a different background. There will always be some form of bias in writing, but by having multiple sources, it can make it easier to decide and look through different opinions in order to find what is true and what is false by comparing what different sources are saying. A weakness is that women are less respected than men generally in life, meaning it is possible that this writing and viewpoint may not be taken as seriously as a man’s writing would be. The fact that this writing is coming from a woman’s point of view could discredit it in a man’s mind. Because typically in the past, men had more power than women, it would be likely that others would believe their opinion over a woman. I think that cartoon of the Cuban woman in a frying pan, named The Duty of the Hour, is being used to imply that a man is saving her from the chaos below. I see a man’s hand holding the frying pan, which it looks like to me that he has just picked up, saving her from the burning town below her. Also below her and what is squishing and causing the town to burn is anarchy, which shows that he thinks the woman is being saved from the anarchy is Spain. When I first looked at the cartoon, it looked like the woman was saving herself and showing her power, but when I realized the cartoon was drawn by a man, I noticed more details which seemed like it was trying to portray that the woman was being saved in some way.
There was a gendered interpretation of the Spanish-American war. One gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War focuses on the concept of muscular masculinity and its role in shaping American attitudes toward imperialism. This interpretation suggests that a desire to assert masculine strength and dominance, both domestically and internationally, significantly drove the United States toward war with Spain. Because of this, notions of masculinity were deeply intertwined with ideas of national identity and power. Advocates of war framed intervention in Cuba and other Spanish colonies as a means of demonstrating American strength, and moral righteousness. The suffering of Cuban civilians under Spanish rule was portrayed as a threat to American masculinity, prompting calls for intervention to protect the vulnerable and assert American dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Furthermore, proponents of war portrayed Spain as weak, contrasting it with the robust, masculine image of the United States. This portrayal reinforced the idea that intervention was an opportunity to showcase American masculinity on the world stage.
2. The strength of using this gender lens is it gives you the full story. It adds some of the motives behind this war and explains why Americans were so apt to escalate this conflict with the Spanish. It shows the outlying ideals of the American people in the period and illustrates integral values shown in society. The glorification of masculine strength and militaristic prowess contributed to a culture of aggression and conquest. This mentality fueled the expansionist ambitions of the United States and justified interventionist policies in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and other territories. Some negatives seen from the war were that the masculine ideals of strength and dominance were used to justify violence and atrocities committed during the war. This included the brutal treatment of Spanish soldiers and civilians, as well as the suppression of indigenous and Filipino resistance movements. The glorification of masculinity reinforced patriarchal power structures, where men were privileged over women and held positions of authority in government, military, and society. This perpetuated gender inequalities and limited opportunities for women to participate in decision-making processes and public life. Masculine ideals of strength and courage were used to marginalize critics of interventionism, anti-imperialists, and peace activists further cementing jingoistic attitudes. Some of these exact issues are still prevalent today.
3. The gender role can be used to describe the puck cartoon in the article. It portrays Rooselvelt’s rough riders as being larger-than-life heroes who were towering over the Spaniards and combatting them, symbolizing bravery and patriotism. This cartoon could have been in response to the panic of 1893 where many men lost their jobs and their sense of masculinity. This cartoon was also obviously a pro-war cartoon and illustrated the United States being the savior and combatting the “vilified” Spaniards. In the other political cartoon, I see a Cuban woman in a pan with the words “Spanish misrule” waving a Cuban flag. She’s above a burning word that says anarchy, which shows how the Spanish aren’t good leaders and the people and land are in disarray. This could relate to gender roles because the woman is in a pan which is considered housework, and is what is holding this woman back from being in Spanish politics.
I partially agree with the gendered interpretation of the Spanish American war presented in the article. The author gave compelling evidence that suggests that gender played a big part in the dynamics of the war, from the gender portrayed in political cartoons to ideas of fighting the war to defend American manhood. Additionally, it makes sense that gender was an important part of the war, since men controlled both the politics and social lives of women at the time and women still did not have the right to vote. Whether it’s true or not, it seems plausible for the time period that a male-dominated society went to war to protect their manliness. Even so, the other possible causes seem more reasonable, such as the sinking of the USS Maine and the United State’s moral obligation to help Cuba (due to the Monroe Doctrine and yellow journalism that encouraged war and influenced people to demand that the United States provide humanitarian aid for Cuba). Despite that, looking at the causes of the war from a gendered lens does provide interesting insight that may have been otherwise overlooked.
One strength of looking at the Spanish American war through a gendered lens is that it can help historians understand ideas that may have been overlooked, such the concerns about masculinity due to perceived threats from female suffragists and activists. Additionally, this lens is important to fully understand the political cartoons of this time period, since gender played such a big role in the message that was trying to be conveyed by these images. However, this lens also has a few weaknesses. First of all, using this lens and accepting gender as a cause of the war may lead to other, more important causes being left out. Also, focusing on only the gender dynamics at play in the Spanish-American war may cause other instances of gender affecting historical events to be forgotten. Finally, the gender lens seems to focus more on reasons why men felt the need to go into the war rather than the ways women played a part in the war and to events of the time period in general, which is bad because it may cause historians to ignore the contributions of women during the Spanish-American war. Ultimately, the gender lens can be an interesting way to look at the Spanish-American war, but it does have a few drawbacks.
The cartoon of the Cuban woman in a frying pan proves one of the article’s arguments – that the gendered interpretation of the war is demonstrated through political cartoons. The woman in the frying pan represents Cuba, and the fact that she is portrayed as a woman, rather than a man, shows that America thought of Cuba as helpless and in need of help, since women often represented weakness. This cartoon proves that while historians still debate over whether gender had an impact on the Spanish-American war, gender clearly influenced things like political cartoons.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I agree with the gendered lens but I think it only influenced the war to a limited extent. While it’s reasonable that the need to reaffirm masculinity may have contributed to the desire of individual soldiers to participate in the war, I think it’s likely that national pride and ‘humanitarian concern’ were driving factors for the country’s decision. In particular, the Le Dome letter and the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana were seen as threats to US sovereignty and greatly provoked the American public. Still, gendered rhetoric may have contributed to the good-will desire to shield Cuba from Spanish atrocities as circulated in political cartoons from sensational newspapers. Especially in the historical context of this time, when women were beginning to assert their right to vote and participate in the political process, men who may be seeking to exclude them would welcome the portrayal of women as weak or helpless.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
This lens can show how gender roles permeated American society, consider how gender and identity can be utilized in rhetoric, and ultimately whether they may have influenced legislation or foreign policy. It’s important to examine how large societal ideals shape significant historical events like the Spanish-American war. Artifacts like political cartoons can also help historians learn about the gender stereotypes and attitudes of the time. The gendered lens could be a weakness if it were the only lens used to examine the situation, or if focusing on the gendered lens detracts from looking at the situation through imperialist lens, racist lens, and other perhaps more central causes of the war. If the gendered lens is the only one we consider, then it would only tell a fraction of the story.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
This cartoon depicts a woman (with the Cuban flag – presumably representing the colony of Cuba) in a frying pan labeled ‘Spanish Misrule.’ She is looking down with a worried face upon the flames of anarchy that threaten to engulf her. From a gendered lens, the portrayal of a ‘damsel in distress’ can stem from gender expectations, and characterize Cuba as a country that is in need of protection. The comparison of Cuba with a helpless woman can be leveraged by warmongers to convince the public of war because they know of the masculine desire to be courageous and protective. Also, the hand holding the pan seems to be more masculine, maybe hinting at Spain’s aggression.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I agree with the interpretation of the Spanish American War being interpreted through a gendered lens. Men who fought in the Spanish American War, such as Theodore Roosevelt, had grown up hearing stories of heroes who fought in the Civil War, and longed to have the same opportunity to prove themselves in battle. They admired these men so much that they began to associate their service and war with being patriotic and manly. I think that having a whole generation of men who believed they would only be respected if they were the man that the country had portrayed, who bravely fought in battle for his country, and saved women as well as people who were not white Americans, proved very dangerous as it can now be seen as a cause of the Spanish American War.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
Using a gendered lens provides a perspective that many people probably have not considered with history. Many marginalized groups are often left out of history, so I believe it is important to view events through a gendered lens, however it is important to consider all viewpoints. Which is why I think that it can be harmful to only look at a situation through one lens. Looking at the Spanish American War, gender roles do appear to have been one of the motives for the United States to declare war on the Spanish, however, I also think this war can be looked at through the lens of white superiority and an extension of Manifest Destiny. In addition to Americans believing men had to act a certain way, many also believed that our country’s way of life was superior to non-white countries. As seen similarly with colonization and Manifest Destiny, many white Americans believed they needed to extend their borders because God intended for them to own that land, and many religious groups believed it was the responsibility to save non-whites from their “uncivilized” way of living by converting them to Christianity. These ideas can show how looking at the Spanish American War through a religious and race lens can also lead to further explanations on the cause of the war.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
In the cartoon featuring a Cuban woman in a frying pan we can assume that she represents the country of Cuba, because of the Cuban flag she is holding. She is being held over a burning island labeled “Anarchy”. The choice to portray Cuba as a woman in distress indicates that she needs to be saved from the “disorder” in her country by a manly and chivalrous country. The caption says “The duty of the hour – to save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate.” The caption implies that not only does the United States need to save her from the Spanish, but also from the wild way that Cubans were portrayed to be living. The cartoon encourages Americans to believe that non-white countries need to be civilized, and the only way to do so is to adapt American culture, language, religion, and government.
1) I’m not sure I completely agree that gender is the sole reason for the Spanish-American War as the other reasons were valid and influential in the decision. However I do think the ‘masculinity crisis’ in America at the time contributed to starting the war. During the time of industrialization, traditional portrayals of manhood were being threatened and the role of men had mellowed quite a bit from the time of westward expansion. In addition to this, the role of women was changing, as they gained more rights and power. Men became uncomfortable with this (of course they did) and their discomfort was heightened by things like the press and political cartoons. The desire for glory, adventure, and opportunity to ‘prove oneself’ in battle resonated with growing anxieties and societal pressures surrounding masculinity. The effects of these insecurities were that already existing war cries increased as men found reasons to go to war, some of which could have been solved without it.
2) The strength of using gender as a lens is that it creates a more nuanced understanding of events and challenges the traditional lenses of politics and economics. Gender is a very prominent factor in history, but it’s commonly ignored when analyzing historical events. By examining how ideas of masculinity and femininity intersected with broader political happenings, it gives a deeper understanding of people’s motives. A weakness of this lens is that it seems to oversimplify something that is quite complicated. It’s not fair to say ‘men felt weak so they went to war’ when there were other valid reasons that also influenced it. Gender lens has to be used in combination with other ideas; nothing happens solely because of someone’s gender.It’s important to recognize that gender is just one factor.
3) The central focus in the cartoon is Cuba depicted as a vulnerable woman in distress. This highlights traditional gender stereotypes of men as in need of protection. The idea of this is to invoke paternalistic and protective feelings towards Cuba. By framing the country as a woman in peril, the artist appeals to American mens ideals of chivalry. The caption “the duty of the hour…to save her not only from Spain, but from a worse fate” (as I read it), further suggests a paternalistic attitude and a sense of duty for men towards Cuba. This artistic interpretation of the conflict reinforces traditional gender dynamics, in addition to racist power dynamics and white supremacy, with the US assuming the role of the strong protective white man, and Cuba as the dependent female in need of salvation.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I agree that a big contributing factor that led to the Spanish American War was the idea that American men were feeling emasculated at the time. Well there were certainly other factors that motivated the War, I don’t think any of them were for the sake of rescuing the ‘less fortunate from spanish rule’. The attempt at justifying why the war was declared does not hold strong, in comparison the arguments that the war was fought for the reason of America wanting attention seems more likely. America had stayed away from foreign affairs for a while at this point and wanted more recognition. Not to mention pressure from the press was a large factor in this war starting. Pulitzer and Hearst riled up the public into wanting a war against the exaggerated truths they were printing in their papers. We see this same sentiment now with social media engaging people to attack certain groups, so it’s far from a stretch to say the same thing happened leading up to this war. The points the article brings up about how the depression of 1893 and industrialization had begun to emasculate men. The societal expectation these men had grown up with to fight bravely in the civil war stories they were told also contributed to this.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
A strength of using this lens is it can allow us to see the social climate of American society at this time period. This lens can contribute to the realization that men most likely felt less powerful than what they had grown up hearing and we can examine how society could have made them feel that way. Rather than just focusing on bare bones reasons as to why the U.S. realistically wanted to fight Spain, there is a possibility that it wasn’t entirely rational and was more based in a widespread insecurity in men in America. A weakness of this lens is that it creates the idea that the war could have only been fought for this reason and while it was mainly from insecurity, there was also a bit of justification for it.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
For the Rough Riders cartoon, we can see the influence gender norms have on the cartoon is obvious in its design. It shows what was expected of American men to fight for their country and the ones they love. The American flag in the cartoon ties patriotism into the theme of these men who charged into battle without fear during the Spanish American War.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
Gender did play a role in causing the Spanish-American War; however, wars are very complicated and have more than one cause. Furthermore, these causes can be categorized. Using the gendered lens helps us see specific causes to this war like the U.S.’s want to assert masculinity as they are worried that the men of that generation are too soft and with the rising roles of women “threatened” to take men’s position in society such as leading reform movements, jobs, and politics. Overall, the gendered lens offers insight to many specific reasons why the Spanish-American War happened in terms of femininity versus masculinity during this time period.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
There are multiple strengths and weaknesses to using different lenses. Using only one lens restricts the overall view that a person has on an event while using multiple lenses allows a person to have a more nuanced understanding of an event. One strength of the gendered lens is that it helps show the difficulties women faced to overcome the culturally embedded archetypes, roles, and inferiority of women in society. One weakness is that as mentioned in the paragraph above, wars are complicated and never have one cause or even category of causes. Just looking at the Spanish-American war through only the gendered lens, we only see the causes for war inside of America from one perspective. We miss out on the economic causes which are a very important driving factor in the war as it caused Americans to want to expand to find new markets and resources as well as having more territories closer to major trade partners such as China and Japan.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
In the political cartoon, a woman that represents Cuba is in a frying pan and is being cooked over the flames of anarchy. The woman shows how women were seen as helpless. The overall message is that America needs to step in and save the damsel in distress, Cuba, from the destruction of anarchy that will follow after the end of Spanish rule. The choice of using a woman to represent Cuba could also appeal to American men’s sense of honor in which it would be honorable to save a helpless woman.
1. I certainly think there are aspects of gender concerning the Spanish-American War, but I do not find them to be significant in regards to the war itself. What is more significant to me is that after the war, women were much more influential because of reforms, and I definitely think the males especially in office felt threatened. As for Theodore Roosevelt, his display of “masculinity” was more of a personal account rather than a military motive. Roosevelt grew up loving invigorating stories about the Civil War and heroes, and it was his dream to have that same valor one day. His enthusiasm on the battlefield is part of his character, and it seems like he was just waiting for an opportunity to shine. The political cartoons are indeed attempting to genderize the war, but this is a perspective from certain journalists and cartoonists who want attention. Whilst I do not believe there is not nearly enough evidence to say that the Spanish-American war was gender motivated, there were definitely things going on in that time period which augmented the stereotypes of each gender, mainly being political cartoons.
2. A strength of using a gendered lens on the Spanish-American War is that it justifies an initial instance where women have taken another big step in advocating for themselves in society. By seeing the way cartoonists have reacted, it is clear that women have posed a threat to the status of men and their self-image, and this concludes that a gendered view on the war also reflected an elevated time in which women have gained more influence. The negative side to using this lens is that it is very hard to defend the claim. In a time where the United States is constantly expanding, you really cannot shy away from the fact that foreign policy, economic motives, and influence over other nations plays a role in wars in percentages far greater than gender.
3. Cartoon #2 shows a large image of a man in a battlefield along with his gallant comrades as they take on the enemy. This masculine view of war institutes the idea that all of the brave men go out and fight, and they do so with vigor and courage. The man who is Theodore Roosevelt, because he is Lieutenant Colonel of the Rough Riders, is in such a position which demonstrates the heroism of men. The man behind him is confidently and happily fighting for his unit, and it is the men who are saving the country. (Male gender lens)
1. I agree with the article’s interpretation that a crisis of upper and middle-class white manhood was a leading cause of the Spanish-American War. I think that the cause depicted in the article was undoubtedly a part of the cause but not the primary cause. In many political cartoons in the late 1800s, men who were opposed to the war and who didn’t want to fight their way out were drawn dressed as women. These cartoons showed “true men” being confident and saying things hinting at the fact that they wanted war. Men who were unstable in their manhood did not agree with this, so to be taken seriously they switched sides and started to be pro-war. In the end, there was no one cause of the Spanish-American war, there were many different actions leading up to the war, some larger than others, but there was no singular cause.
2. A strength of using this lens is not only seeing the threats to masculinity but also the rise of powerful women in this era. Reforms led by women were more common and strong independent women were threatening the old only-male political way. For the first time, women are threatening men and truly frightening them with their strong leadership roles in large groups of women. Another great thing about using this lens is the relevance today, gender equality is a huge part of culture today, and relating to movements in the past can help understanding the present. One weakness when using this lens is the fact that it only focuses on gender. When coming to the causes of large wars there are many different lenses that historians have to take into account. Unfortunately using only the gender lens can cause people to see right past economics, military, and resources.
3. I interpreted the cartoon below of the Rough Riders by PUCK. this cartoon clearly shows a muscular man standing very high above smaller men who look to be Mexican. The man is holding a large flag and a gun, he has a very serious but also proud look on his face. Using the gender lens to interpret this cartoon I concluded that this man was pro-war and he was a strong and confident man because of it. There are no women in the picture just soldiers who were men. All the men who look to be in the United States military are big, strong, and confident. The cartoonist strategically put the American flag in the man’s hands and scattered other soldiers around to show the power of the United States Military.
Personally, I do not agree that the genders had anything major to do with the Spanish-American war or led to it in any way. Yes,from reading the article I do understand that roles changed and men and women roles were swapping and women were finally getting the respect that they deserved, but from my understanding, there were only a few reasons for this and they did not all come from this war. The first one is Teddy. He was weak, and when no men were doing things for cleaning up their mess from the civil war and reconstruction the women came along and thankfully did something about it. Second, the political cartoons were not really against men, as they were as much against America as a whole. For instance it was always uncle Sam doing something to the spanish or making him look like he was the one hurting the spanish. Which, yes Uncle Sam is a man but I do not think that people should have taken it into context of that it was him as a male harming the war, but that it is looked as, as the United States as a whole doing bad things.
As I said above, I do not think that this is a good lens to use but I will look at it as it is to answer this question. I think that a possible strength of looking through the lens of gender interpretation could be to start a good discussion. Gender is something that everyone has and can back up upon. So in a discussion I could talk about why I think the women did or didn’t do anything wrong in this case but someone else can have another opinion. I think a weakness to using this lens would be the fact that gender as I said above didn’t have much to do with the Spanish-American war itself. From the evidence and articles I read and I have provided I just do not see how the different views with the men and women in that time could have had the impact on the resolution and the war itself.
From examining the “Rough Riders” cartoon (TD’s army group) we see a lot going on to start like Teddy himself in the center, little Spanish people running around almost getting crushed, and several more Americans running through the thick grass following Teddy to fight the Spanish. I interpret this cartoon as definitely pro-america because we see how our “fantastic leader” is “saving” us all and being a “manly man”. Teddy needs to turn his ego down about ten notches. In this time he is trying to be a “manly man” as the women are now stepping up to show that men are still superior and powerful rarrrr.
I agree that the gendered view played a factor in the causes of the Spanish American War. It was definitely a common idea that men should fight in the war because of their masculinity, and they would probably be grouped more with feminism if they didn’t want to fight in the war or they wanted peace. Additionally, men likely wanted to fight in the war to assert themselves as the dominant or more important gender. Before the opportunity to fight in the war came up, men were slowly losing respect as women were up and coming. Women started fighting and gaining rights and respect, which made some men feel less proud of themselves. Men felt they were becoming less masculine. The Spanish American war served as an opportunity for men to regain respect and their masculinity.
A strength of using this lens is that it shows a viewpoint of what most people were probably thinking in their heads, but didn’t always talk about. Without using this lens, we wouldn’t have a good idea of what was really going through people’s heads at the time. Throughout history, gender roles have always existed. These roles have evolved, and it is important to view how these roles affected big events in history. The Spanish American war is definitely important, so it is important to see how gender roles played a part in the causes of the war. A weakness of this lens, and all lenses, is that it focuses on a specific part of an event or person. In this case, there may have been other reasons someone wanted to go to war other than to regain their masculinity or feel better about themselves. Using lenses helps us focus closely on a specific motive or reason for something, but they are not able to show the full story of an event.
Using a gender lens while viewing the Rough Riders cartoon reveals a view of men fighting in the war. There are no women in the picture, and the main man in the cartoon is holding an American flag. This man looks like Theodore Roosevelt, the leader of the Rough Riders. Roosevelt chose to join the war. He resigned from his government job as the assistant secretary of the navy so he could fight in the war. This action could show his masculinity from the gendered lens viewpoint. Roosevelt holding the flag also suggests that men are the heroes of America, as they fight for America in a war.
I agree with the interpretation listed in the article stating that a common thread between the causes of the Spanish American War was the American man’s need for masculinity. With many things happening all at once that threatened American masculinity, there needed to be a solution. The rise of industrialism led to comforted, lazy middle and upper class men. The increase in the “New Women” philosophy of women’s strength, in addition to American men already feeling a loss of masculinity due to industrialism meant the American men started looking for a solution to their feelings. Political cartoons heightened these feelings by depicting those who were for the war as masculine and those hesitant or against as feminine. The Spanish American War provided a solution for all these problems. If the men went to war, they could restore their feelings of the rugged sense of masculinity and when they did that, they believed the women would fall back into their traditional roles of staying in the house, raising children and tending to the household.
A strength of using this lens would be that it applies a new idea to old topics. Looking through the topic of gender is entirely new to how historians look at historical situations. By adding this, we can now see the role that gender plays in other parts of history, not just the Spanish American War. There are a few negatives towards using the gender lens. One of the main reasons being it doesn’t allow for much expansion, in the sense that there isn’t much room for interpretation. Another is the way that this article frames the topic. The way it is perceived, makes me think that gender was the main reason for the Spanish American War, and while it played a major role, so did many other factors, such as expansionism and white supremacy.
In this cartoon there is a Cuban woman sitting in the frying pan of Spanish Misrule above the fire and flames of anarchy. The inscription at the bottom makes it clear that Americans believed that it was their responsibility to save Cuba from the Spanish. Looking at it through the eyes of a gender lens, the woman on the frying pan looks to be helpless. She is also separated from all the fighting below, insinuating that women are not strong enough to be a part of the war. This is a political cartoon that feeds into the American man’s belief that in order to be masculine they need to fight.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I do agree with the gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War because men in this time period were working harder in the labor force or in industrial factories and providing for their families, which made them seem “soft”. Men like these were depicted in cartoons as women, like in a drawing in William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal, where President McKinley, who was anxious and weary to fight in a war with the Spanish, is depicted as a woman because he didn’t want to fight and was ignoring Congress’s passion and influence on him to fight the war, where McKinley is depicted as the bad guy for ignoring there advice and support. This and many other significant and important cartoons like this show that part of this war’s causes were gender-centered, because men were so fragile and self-centered that they thought if America wasn’t fighting a war, then America was scared, which for some reason was correlated with Women, even though a new force of Women was breaking out, namely the “New Woman”, which threatened men because women wanted to participate in politics, the right to vote, and other reforms. One of the main points that makes the war seem gendered is an excerpt from Alice Stone Blackwell, an editor of the Woman’s Journal, “Assuming for the sake of argument that this war is … utterly inexcusable… It is a Congress of men that has declared it.” This showed womens growing intention to be included in politics because the men wanted war, while women did not, yet they had no say and could not do anything about it.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
Different strengths and weaknesses can be seen through different lenses, and a strength of seeing the war through the gendered lens is that we get to see a new idea/way to process the War and why it happened, one that had usually not been thought of. This new lens gave us more information and reasoning as to why the War might have happened, and women’s status were being elevated more and more which eventually led to the 19th amendment in 1920. A weakness of using this lens is that if you only see it through one gender, like only a man’s view or only a woman’s view, then you won’t get the whole picture and most likely won’t get a good straight forward, or even complex, answer.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
The cartoon of the Cuban woman in a frying pan shows the woman in a pan that is labeled “spanish misrule” with what looks like a man’s hand holding it. Under the pan is a battlefield with 2 army’s fighting and a camp going up in flames where the flames spell out “anarchy”. Through a gendered lens, this cartoon can be seen as a rallying cry for men to fight in the war, because most men at this time see women as things that need to be protected, so they should fight in the war to save Cuba from Spanish misrule and also the flames of anarchy erupting from a camp. It is also most likely pro-expansionist/pro-imperialist because the men would want to save Cuba from anarchy, and the “best way” to do this would be for the United States to take control of Cuba and have them be “protected” under the United States.
1. I agree with some parts of the argument, but I think others are a stretch to try to conform them to a gendered role. I agree with the fact that the “New Women” was on the rise and threatened the role of men in the household. I also think that the war did put an end to that movement for a long time by creating new masculine war heroes that made women retake their role as housekeepers. I also agree with the analysis of the political cartoons that were presented in the article. They used gender to try to make fun of the men who were averse to the war and made those who wanted war more masculine. I do disagree with the fact that this was anything more than an insult to the men in the cartoons. I don’t think that played a key role in their creation or manipulated a large change in their meaning other than just depicting these people as women to call them weak or scared, stereotypical traits of a woman. I also disagree with the fact that gender changed or created policy around this time. I think Alice Blackwell’s argument that Congress was affected by their desire to be manly rather than by morality and intelligence is a stretch. In general, though, I also agree that the war helped solidify the roles of men and women to what they were previously.
2. This lens presents some glaring flaws but can also help present new viewpoints on a topic. One of the strengths of the lens is it can give you a better understanding of the role women played in the affairs of the country even when they had a very limited role in decision-making processes like voting and participating in governmental bodies. It has some flaws that come with it though. Often in serious political matters, gender has a very small and sometimes non-existent role in the decisions being made. This may force this lens to stretch things to fit its definitions and strong suits. It can also be very opinionated because when talking about politics it is difficult to decipher whether or not gender played a key role in creating or changing a policy.
3. The political cartoon depicts a woman in a frying pan cooking over Cuba with a flame of anarchy. The pan is being held by what looks like a white man’s hand over a battlefield. I think this is a pro-war cartoon because it depicts Cuba as a vulnerable woman looking somewhere for help. Clearly, this cartoon is saying Cuba is powerless to free itself from the Spanish misrule and needs the help of America. The white hand on the frying pan likely means that by not taking action, the Americans are aiding in this injury to Cuba and are easily able to take the pan off of the fire to end the situation.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War? Why or why not?
I think gender played a big part in the causes of the Spanish-American War. Many men felt a need to express their masculinity due to the emergence of the “New Woman” during the progressive era. The progressive era was paved by the majority of women reformers who gained the right to vote for themselves as well as making the living conditions and economy better for the many poor people and immigrants. The rise of these women was seen as a threat to “emasculate” men, as women made their way up in the political scene. Due to this threat, men saw going to war as a way of demonstrating masculinity and showing power over other nations, as well as taking women out of the spotlight that men wanted to have. Therefore, people like McKinley, who were indecisive about going to war, were shown to be dressed like women in imperialist political cartoons. Going to war was a symbol of masculinity and chivalry for many men, and they refused to hesitate and make men seem feminine. By going into war, the men would be toughened “for survival in the realm of domestic politics” (After the Fact 537). Men were motivated to go to war to put women in their so-called “proper” roles in their domestic duties.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
There are many strengths and weaknesses that come with looking at the Spanish-American War with an en-gendered lens. The lens’ strength is highlighting the overlooked contributions of women during the time men wanted to go to war. This lens shows how women were at the forefront of many progressive movements, but when it came to going to war, they were stereotyped as having an anti-imperialistic and anti-male view. This lens is also good at showing the view of anti-imperialistic men or men who are hesitant to go to war as feminine and weak. The lens shows the messed-up views of many American men who desired to go to war, mostly seeking more power in society and the world and power over women. Although I think this lens does a good job of showing how the push for masculinity was a cause of the Spanish-American War, I think it undermines other important factors. This lens fails to show white supremacy playing a big part in pushing for war as well as the desire to compete with European nations, establishing ports, and genuine empathy for Cuban people due to the Yellow Journalists.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
When looking at this cartoon through an en-gendered lens, I can see a stereotypical view of a woman being the damsel in distress, needing men to save her. The woman in the cartoon represents Cuba, as implied in the caption and the flag. The woman is shown to need the Americans to fight against the Spanish and anarchy. The cartoon implies by the caption and the symbolism of the woman that American men are the ones who have the obligation to save Cuba, like men are stereotyped to often save women. Also, the hand holding the pan seems like a man’s hand, which also suggests that men are the ones doing the saving. The use of the frying pan can show how men were not only saving women, but they were also putting them back in places where they were safe and putting them back into the domestic duties to which they “belonged,” according to the men.
1. I think the gendered interpretation makes sense in theory, and while it is interesting and something I hadn’t considered, I don’t think it was one of the biggest causes for the Spanish-American war. The gender theory lens would make sense to me if it was explained more generally with values associated with either male or female rather than directly characteristics of each gender. Stereotypical opinions and values are associated with male vs. female in the past but also today. Men are supposed to be strong and strong willed, adventurous, loyal, honorable, and brave. Men were running the countries so these values, that were probably instilled in them from their own fathers, could influence a leader’s choice. With the gender theory lens the Spanish-American war seems to come from imperialism and men acting like birds attempting to have the most feathers, the prettiest ones, and puffing up their chests trying to prove themselves to one another. I would hope that the country would enter into a war-one that would cause lots of death-for more than just pride and desire for adventure. The metaphor could be an exaggeration because the country saw it necessary to be the best and establish their power/strength. Something that most likely ties in with the gender lens is loyalty to the country and a sense of pride of being American, which was rampant and widely publicized. Examples like Yellow Journalism and wide-spread pro-war sentiment could be both male and female. One thing I can note is that this view of male strength still exists today so it would make sense for it to come from our history and start back in the 19th century influencing the United State’s decisions.
2. A strength of using the gender lens to examine history is looking at it from a new perspective. According to the blog information, this gender lens hadn’t been introduced until 1998 by Kristin Hoganson. It was relatively new and could open many new ways of thinking about history and historiography. The influence of gender could be prevalent or underlying in history and it may influence people’s morals and decisions which is why it is important to take into account. One weakness of the gender lens is that it is different for everyone, gender is perceived differently by everyone, and people are always breaking stereotypes. It is usually specific to the individual because of their own experiences. On page 537(the last page) the article said, “Undoubtedly, such gendered rhetoric is arresting…Establishing the identity of a single individual is complicated enough, for character is shaped by many factors, including gender, race, ethnicity, religion, class, and education.”
3. Women are usually shown as weak, symbols of life as well as liberty, and something that needs to be saved and protected by men. In the cartoon with the woman in the frying pan we see a frightened woman holding the flag of Cuba; She most likely represents the previously Spanish colony of Cuba. The cartoon shows the woman in a frying pan labeled Spanish misrule over a blazing fire that says anarchy. Spain is harming Cuba essentially setting it on fire and ruining it with its control and anarchy. From a historical perspective I know that the woman could also represent the Cuban people, including women and children, who Spain was placing into concentration camps. The caption says, “The duty of the hour – to save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate.” This political cartoon by Louis Dalrymple is an example of America’s supposed heroism in the necessity of ridding Spain from Cuba (even when America would later become the new country to control Cuba). This time period set a precedent for America to establish the country as peacekeepers and mediators, rescuing others.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War? Why or why not?
I do agree with this gendered interpretation about the causes of the Spanish-American war, and how greatly it affected the war. The article interprets Theador Rosavelt as rather masculine on the first page, fearlessly charging into battle, and himself, along with others around him, wanting to show their masculinity and strength through war and combat. This is also seen in the propaganda and political cartoons spread at the time. Those who did not approve of the Spanish-American war were portrayed as women, usually in more vulnerable positions in comparison to others who supported the war, in a more assertive position.
What is the strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
The strengths of using this lens when interpreting the causes of the Spanish-American war are taking more into consideration the cartoons and propaganda used at the time, in comparison to only facts and statistics. It compares these events in the war to how gender roles were currently affecting society and social life. Gender roles for women were typically to stay in the house, caring for the home and their husband, and their main goal was to raise future generations for the good of society. Meanwhile, the men were expected to be the ones working, as long as the family could afford living off one person’s wages. More often than not, men were also expected to have higher education than women, including going to college. However, at the same time, the women’s suffrage movement had been progressing throughout the nation, challenging the previous gender roles set in society. This challenged the previous ways of life and was seen as a threat to the masculinity of men at the time, especially with the movement for voting rights regardless of sex. The weakness of this is that it does not fully describe how the war progressed military. It focuses on the social aspect, more geared toward the United States, instead of looking at the details of the battles and what the opposing side thought of the war instead of just the United States.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
In this cartoon, a woman is holding a pan above her head, and on the pan, it says “Spanish Misrule.” there is also a fire that was under the pan, labels anarchy, and it separates two sides of the picture. This shows how Cuban women are being forced do assimilate and join the American culture. Meanwhile, the man on another side of the drawing is from America and arguably could be the one forcing this woman to assimilate. This shows how the differences between female and male gender roles have an impact on how events are analyzed through this lens.
I agree with the gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War. I agree that gender roles played an important part in the causes of the Spanish-American War. The men of Theodore Roosevelt’s generation had not had a major conflict in a very long time and wanted to restore their masculinity and “manliness” and prove themselves as “True Men”. The men felt less important in society like women had felt during those times. At this point, men in this time were pushing for war to prove their “manliness” because only “True Men” go to war, protect their country, and protect the principle of chivalry. This forced women at this time to tend to their houses and kids and lessened the worth of women while men were at war like in Civil War times when men were out fighting and women were stuck in the houses and taking care of kids.
There are multiple strengths and weaknesses using this lens. One of the strengths of this lens is the different perspectives that are given on events. The different perspectives could be how the person analyzed the event and how they viewed the event. One of the weaknesses of using this lens is if you only look through one perspective, like the female perspective or the male perspective and you don’t get both perspectives of how each gender was feeling during the time. As well as focusing on only one event and not broadening the timeline. Also as seeing a small portion of a bigger picture and not knowing all of the details.
The cartoon by Louis Dalrymple in May 1898, from a gendered lens depicts a Cuban woman in a frying pan with the words “Spanish Misrule” on the side. The frying pan being held over Cuba is being burned with the words “Anarchy” in the flames. In Cuba, there are two different camps depicting that the Spanish is making Cuba worse and burning it to the ground. The caption of the image describes saving the women not only from Spain which was in charge of Cuba but also save the women from anarchy. The man holding the pan is trying to make the Cuban women more “civilized” in an ultimatum. Either become more “civilized in America” or go back to the burning country of Cuba with anarchy and not a democracy. This is in addition to coming from a gendered lens.
1. There isn’t really a distinct yes or no. The way I see it, what the U.S. government as a whole thought and what the general population thought were different. The reasons in the Teller Amendment were the government given reasons for the war. However, the war was being pushed for and asked for by the people. With yellow journalism and the progressive movement as a whole, the people were beginning to have more effect on the decisions of the government as a whole. Direct primaries, initiative, and recall all allowed the people to vote and change the government towards more their views. That’s how the war got voted into happening. McKinley was essentially peer pressured into it by the American public.So, I’d say that yes, generally one of the main causes of the Spanish-American war was because white American men needed to feel like they were still manly and honorable, especially as compared to their fathers and their fathers who fought in the Civil War, and Revolutionary War.
2. This lens shows the real time effects the progressive movement was having on the government. By seeing the gender aspect of the war we start to see that women are beginning to change their roles in society, which scared men into taking action. Women were working more and more as a result of low wages and the monopolistic systems of that time. This then raised questions on why women were paid less for harder or more arduous labor. As they have in the past, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, questions led to thinking and then answers, provoking action. We also see that governmental policies are being affected through the actions of the American public. This is also supported by institutions such as the Hull House, which were mostly run by educated women. A weakness of the lens however, is that it takes stuff out of a political context, and doesn’t really see what’s happening from Cuba’s perspective. Yellow journalists exaggerated their stories and headlines to get more attention. Then their stories became known as the truth. The U.S.S. Maine sinking was a great example of this because they said it sank because of the Spanish, whereas in reality, that didn’t happen. This doesn’t show accurately what was happening in Cuba, or put the focus on the people and helping them overthrow Spain. Instead, the focus was being mad at the Spanish.
3. In the Rough Riders cartoon we see that a man, presumably Theodore Roosevelt, is leading other white men into a battle with the Spanish. He is waving the American flag and his gun in the air, pointing his men forward. It looks like all of the Spanish are running away from them, as they charge. Even though it looks like there are way more Spanish than there are Americans. Also, Spanish in uniforms, Rough Riders in regular everyday clothes with a holster and gun belt. It seems like the American men are taking it way too far on the Spanish as they are retreating, which could mean they are trying to show that they are bigger, scarier, and stronger than the Spanish, therefore proving their manhood and honor.
1. I agree with the author that gender roles contributed to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. The desire to assert traditional notions of manhood amidst perceived threats and challenges, including the rise of the “New Woman,” and the perceived “softening” of men as a result of industrialization and urbanization likely contributed to a growing insecurity amongst the male population. To rectify this, they felt that war was the only way to “reclaim and prove their manhood.” The article provides an interesting anecdote here, saying that Roosevelt charged into battle alone out of excitement, providing him with legendary status and proving his “manly glory.” Through a gendered lens, it can be clear that these notions of masculinity contributed greatly to the development of American foreign affairs.
2. Using a gendered offers a unique perspective of the social dynamics and power structures of the time. One strength of this lens is its ability to analyze historical events like the Spanish American War and uncover often overlooked perspectives. By taking into account the roles, attitudes, and societal expectations of gender norms, historians can provide a more nuanced understanding of events. However, a weakness of solely relying on a gendered view of history is the potential for oversimplification. While gender is a significant factor in shaping human experiences, its not the only lens that should be analyzed. Other factors such as economic, geopolitical, and nationalist sentiments likely played important roles as well. A focus solely on gender overlooks these factors, which results in a skewed understanding of events. Therefore, while a gendered lens offers valuable insights, it should be used in part with other lenses to create a better understanding of historical events.
3. The Puck cartoon depicts a woman holding the Cuban flag in a frying pan of Spanish misrule over the flames of anarchy. The flames reveal a burning encampment and widespread violence. The caption states that it is America’s duty to save Cuba from not only Spain but also from Anarchy. In this cartoon, the artist depicts Cuba as a women, traditionally thought of as fragile to convey that Cubans lack the means or agency to break free from the Spanish without strong, masculine, American aid. Ultimately, this cartoon attempts to illicit support for American intervention in Cuba, by feeding into men’s need to be seen as chivalrous and brave in front of the effeminate Cuban people.
I agree with the article and how gender played a role in the war. The rise of women taking over the men and becoming stronger than the men could have pushed them. Mens overload of need of power would most definitely cause them to prove their self worth to women. I can see how what the article says portrays how women could have finally gotten a chance to take over and finally do things that the men were doing. Notice how also in the article it still said how women wanted to get the opportunity to vote still. Even though the men started to weaken themselves the women still even then were struggling with opportunity.
The different perspectives of the war can show the different reasonings as to why the war started. I feel like the strength of using this lens makes/gives women a stronger sense of worth during this time. It also shows how men are not always the “strong” “king-like” men that they think they are. All it took for the men to reduce them down to this level was money. A downside of this point of view is that men will continue to argue that women were actually much more powerful than men at this time and will always protect their self worth.
While interpreting the cartoon I noticed that the women that is sitting in the frying pan that says Spanish Misrule. Below the pan in flames say the word Anarchy. On the opposite sides of Anarchy there appears to be two different tent looking things. The lettering on the pan in my opinion obviously states how spanish had unfair rule over Cuba. The woman in the pan I think is sending a deeper message. It is possible that the woman is in the pan essentially to get “burned” this could be a message that the men were burning the women’s sudden power and control over them. Sense the person in the pan is a woman that is why I think that this cartoon sends a much more deep message. I think if you were looking at this from the gender lense from the man’s perspective it is burning the women’s power but also shows how the mens belief of the Spanish having unfair rule is also a thing. From a woman’s perspective it also could be seen as how they were huge parts of leadership in the spanish war and the men were coming to destroy is again.
1. I believe that gender played a major role in influencing the start of the Spanish-American War, primarily in the way gender roles affected society during the early 1900s. Due to heavy job losses during the industrial revolution, American men began to lose confidence in abilities such their as independence and self-sufficiency, much of which had been lost to a capitalist lifestyle. Aiming to gain their self respect back, many men began to show strong support for the war in order to be labeled as freethinking, brave, and patriotic, viewing those who wanted peace as feminine and against the American purpose. For example, many cartoonists shamed president McKinley for his “femininity” due to his views against the Spanish-American war. Additionally, many men wanted a war to prove their masculinity and have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills by fighting for their country, similarly to their fathers who fought in the Civil War decades earlier. One instance of this mindset is Roosevelt’s idolization of his childhood war heroes, taking after their virtues throughout his entire adulthood. This yearning for an American purpose had a great affect on the population, who soon became avid supporters of war against the Spanish, Europeans, and even imperialism as America grew closer to the status of a “world power”. However, I still believe that a gender roles weren’t the primary nor the only reason for the Spanish-American war, and even without this interpretation the war would have occurred just the same.
2. The strength of viewing the past through a gendered lens is that it gives you a different perspective and truth to histories you might not know in depth. Without this lens, the effect of men wanting preserve their manhood through war would not have been properly studied nor its influence understood. Additional aspects of the story that were left out in past retellings can be brought back to light by being viewed through such a perspective, and in this case we can see an ulterior motive to the Spanish-American war that was not previously observed. However, one weakness of the lens is that it doesn’t fully cover causes of the war that were more vital and politically effective. For instance, the gendered lens doesn’t really touch on imperialism, an ideal which played a crucial role in people’s opinion of America and its vast network of territories obtained during foreign expansion.
3. A gendered lens can be used to interpret the Puck magazine, the cover of which has a cartoon depicting Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” amidst a gunfight with their Spanish opponents. The men are portrayed as brave, strong, and larger than their enemies, reflecting the masculinity of American men in a patriotic light. The article’s caption, which reads “They are rough on the Spaniards, whether they ride or walk,” serves to tell us the same message as the cartoon, that the American man is invincible and stronger on his own than any foreign enemy who would threaten him. Additionally, the unreal size of the Americans is meant to imply America’s superiority over Spain, as well as other countries who would involve themselves in the U.S.’s foreign policies.
I agree with the gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War to some extent. The idea that there was a crisis of upper and middle-class white manhood during that time period is plausible. Traditional notions of masculinity were being challenged by various societal changes, including industrialization, economic instability, and the emergence of the “New Woman” advocating for women’s rights. These shifts could have influenced the desire among certain segments of society, particularly men, to assert dominance and prove their masculinity through acts of war and conquest, such as the Spanish-American War. However, it is important to acknowledge that it may not be the sole factor. Other factors, such as geopolitical interests, economic considerations, and sentiments, likely played significant roles as well.
Using the gender lens uncovers hidden motivations and power dynamics within historical events. By examining how traditional gender norms and expectations shaped individuals actions and attitudes, historians can offer a more nuanced understanding of historical processes. In the case of the Spanish-American War, the gendered interpretation highlights the complex interplay between masculinity, societal changes, and imperialism. However, relying solely on the gender lens is the risk of oversimplification or reductionism. While gender undoubtedly influences historical events, it is just one of many intersecting factors. Ignoring other factors, such as economic or political ideologies, can lead to an incomplete understanding of complex historical phenomena. It should all be used in conjunction with other analytical frameworks to achieve a comprehensive understanding.
The cartoon depicts a Cuban woman in a frying pan, with flames underneath, symbolizing the dire situation faced by Cuba under Spanish rule. It portrays her as vulnerable and in need of rescue. This aligns with traditional gender roles, where women are often depicted as helpless and in need of male protection. The emphasis on saving her not only from Spain but from another fate implies a paternalistic view of women, reinforcing notions of male superiority and female dependence. By also positioning the protection of Cuban women as a moral imperative, the cartoon appeals to traditional ideas of chivalry and duty, reinforcing the narrative of male heroism and female vulnerability. Also, placing the Cuban woman in a frying pan evokes domestic imagery which reinforces gender roles, where women are confined to the domestic sphere and dependent on men for protection. By depicting the Cuban woman as trapped in the confines of the frying pan, the cartoon underscores the urgency of rescuing her from her oppressive situation.
I do agree with the gendered Interpretation of the causes of the war because it seems as though many of these men had an attitude that would be considered as “toxic masculinity” now-a-days because the text gives multiple examples of men going to war, to prove themselves, and how these men would dream of being able to fight in a live battle. I believe that when upper and middle class men were being described as “soft” and “sluggish”, as well as women taking a more active role in politics, it worried a lot of men that they no longer had as much power over women, so they looked for a manly cause to fight for to try and prove that they are more worthy than other groups of people.
I think a strength of this article is acknowledging a valid and significant aspect of the cause of the war and introduces a newer perspective but I think the lens disregards many other significant causes. America had already stolen an entire country coast to coast from the Indigenous people and they were not shy about the concept of Manifest Destiny. They were also continuously trying to spread their religious beliefs and believed that white people were superior to the people in these Latin American countries so they saw what they were doing as being the right thing to do and acting as if they were saving these people. America was also very defensive of the Island and territories in their vicinity and spent lots of energy and money into blocking foreign (European) imperialism from interfering with their business. I do believe that the gendered Interpretation brings up a valid argument but it doesn’t quite grasp the whole situation and leaves out key details.
The first cartoon of the Cuban Women being held in a pan with the words “Spanish Misrule” carved into it, over the words anarchy which are on fire on an Island that is Cuba. This shows how the situation in Cuba and Spanish misrule has led to extreme chaos and the island seems to be frantic and lawless. The lady in the pan seems to be very worried for her safety and what the future of her country is going to look like. Some gendered Interpretations I can make, is that the woman seems to be “at the hands’ ‘ of men and she’s in distress which makes her look helpless and can be used to make her look like she’s in need of a man’s help.
1. Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War? Why or why not?
I agree with the gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War because it is true that the people in Congress were all men, and the people who voted to go to war were also men. Plus, throughout time, there has always been the belief that men are supposed to be tough, chivalrous, and always prove their honor and “masculinity,” and if they don’t, then they are considered cowards. Additionally, there was also the belief that women should be well-mannered, should always obey, and were dumb and weak beings. This was something that people back then, and even now, take seriously, which is why the cartoons, during the time when Spanish-Cuban conflict was rising, came out expressing these same ideas and changing people’s views. These papers promoted these ideas and forced these beliefs onto men by badmouthing people in power who didn’t want to fight, such as President McKinley. This caused American men to want to prove they weren’t scared or “womanlike,” and they were ready to show their toughness and their will to do anything for this country, which is one of the reasons the war started. However, I do believe that there were a lot of other causes, with some being more important than this one. For example, the yellow journalism that exaggerated what was happening in Cuba and the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine.
2. What is the strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
I believe one of the strong points of looking at conflicts through a gender lens is how it highlights the influence of society and its expectations on how wars and other conflicts happen and get resolved. This also helps us find new lenses and points that might have been overlooked before, which can lead to new discussions, and these new ideas could help reveal how people of different genders and races might have experienced or felt about the conflicts differently and why this happened. However, a weakness of this lens is that it can reinforce stereotypes by only focusing on a story, usually the most common or most accepted, which would leave out important parts of history or gloss over them. Plus, this may sometimes lead to people not realizing all the different perspectives that play into the causes of war.
3. Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
I think that this cartoon is trying to prompt men to rescue women from Spanish rule in Cuba, as the caption says, “the duty of the hour—to save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate.” Additionally, the person in the frying pan is a woman, which shows the traditional belief that women are “damsels in distress” who need saving from men. I think this is likely the case because she is being lowered into the flames, indicating danger or harm, and the hand holding the pan appears to belong to a man. This could also be an attempt to raise awareness of the ongoing conflicts and encourage people, especially men, to feel sympathy for them and support the fight. The woman in the frying pan is also wearing a cape labeled “Cuba,” holding the Cuban flag, and the pan is labeled “Spanish Misrule,” signifying that Spanish oppression is at the root of the problem and that they are harming the people of Cuba.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I partially agree with the gendered interpretation of the Spanish American War. This is because I believe that gender, specifically in regards to white men proving their ‘manlyhood’, did play a part in convincing Americans to go to war. Though I don’t completely agree with this interpretation because I don’t believe that this was the only reason as to why we went to war. Of course, many fantastic points were brought up in support of this interpretation, such as: the men’s wish to prove themselves ‘worthy’ after their laziness due to industrialization, the stories of glory and triumph retold to them about the civil war, and the mens new found fear surrounding the “New Woman”. But the article also acknowledges how no one point is truly the cause of the war, as it mentions how “the motives are so varied” in regards to it.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
One strength to using a gendered lens is being able to see an event from a more social position, and being able to see how people’s standards surrounding gender affected the course of history. One weakness can come from the same stance though, a historian can become too engrossed in the social or opinionated effects that they overlook the others.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
First, from simply observing the image one can see a woman with the word Cuba printed on her clothing almost being dropped out of a frying pan whilst holding onto a Cuban flag. The frying pan has the words “Spanish Misrule” carved into it, and the pan is being held up by a white hand, one fading off into the sky. Underneath the pan is an island with homes, people, and mountains, though, the homes are on fire with the word “anarchy” burning along with them. Under the image as a whole, there is text that states something along the lines of: “the butt of the hour – to save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate”. Many things can be inferred from this image, but to interpret it through a gendered lens puts us down a partially different path. Personally, the first thing that stood out to me is the question of why Cuba is a woman? I believe this is because America’s male political artists often attempt to portray other countries as ‘helpless women’, which is not only stereotypical but such an overused trope.
I agree with this gendered interpretation of motives for the Spanish-American War because there have always been things that have been seen as “manly,” and as mentioned in the article, people like Theodore Roosevelt wanted deeply to prove their courage and bring honor to their name, going to the point of Theodore Roosevelt resigning from his post to fight, a war that he believed and many other men, it seems, was chivalrous. Moreover, men of that period wanted to disprove the “sluggish” and “soft” notions that had befallen them during that time. Furthermore, this could be viewed as opposing the rise of the “New Woman” (a woman who wanted to break societal norms and gain the right to vote) by re-establishing the traditional roles more heavily, such as men fighting, and further extending that to voting, to seclude women from gaining the right.
A strength of using the gendered lens is the depth of analysis it can bring and the context it can help find. By using the gendered lens and focusing on the gender roles of the time, it can bring light to societal norms and give context to the gender roles of the time. Furthermore, viewing the Spanish-American War through a gendered lens gives the reader an important perspective on how gender in America impacted or potentially impacted the war by providing a closer examination of it. However, the weakness of the lens is how narrow its view is. The lens automatically puts causes from politics and economics not associated with gender out of focus, such as the causes mentioned in the article, like a quest for naval bases and commercial rewards for the empire, among other things that aren’t associated with gender and that played a role in starting the war.
The Puck Cartoon of the Rough Riders can be seen through a gendered lens as it displays a group of men prevailing forward, destroying the opposition, with the seemingly victorious side holding a gun and one man in the forefront with a revolver and the American Flag, who could be Theodore Roosevelt. By viewing this through a gendered lens, we can closely examine how gender plays a role in it. At first glance, it’s all men demonstrating the societal expectation of men’s role in the military, letting us infer that it’s socially unacceptable, uncommon, or unlawful for women to be in the military. In addition, it could provide a motive for the war as the men seem stern, with one of the men’s visibility looking somewhat happy in the brown shirt and pants. This gives us insight into how the soldiers feel, which seems to be full of pride for what they’re doing, or at the very least content, which ties in with some of the men’s feelings towards the war and motives for doing it, such as pride or glory.
1.)I agree with the article’s stance that a trigger of the Spanish-American War was the need to feel masculine. Leading up to the war, there was an increase in women’s participation outside the house. With the mass industrialization, many women were working factory jobs to support themselves. This contradicts the old stereotypical vision of a woman. Additionally, many were finding roles in politics. With examples like settlement houses, women were leaving their initial spheres of influence to join roles that they never had before. Such change by women left men in America feeling less masculine. As a trait of toxic masculinity, they wanted to go to war so they could fill that “missing” part of themselves. Though, I do not think this was a leading factor to the war, instead an item that fueled the war feelings even more.
2.)A strength that I think is most important is that we are able to look at groups that are marginalized in our history. With the gendered lens approach, historians are able to see the view of those who do or did not have a voice. This is important to have as an overall skill for many reasons. One being that it helps bring diversity to our country. Understanding the life of marginalized groups directly correlates to understanding how to continue on life with making them feel heard. Not only does this ability correlate to women, but also other marginalized groups such as African Americans. Approaching from these lenses helps remove arrogance from history, showing the true colors always. Though, I think there are negatives as well. In the case of the Spanish-American War, there are other reasons that it happened. Though not applied to all, gender doesn’t tend to be the leading cause of important historical events. Therefore, if we focus on gendered lenses, it removes other major causes such as imperialism or economics. If we were to look from a gendered lens, it must certainly be accompanied by other lenses.
3.)(Frying Pan) Looking at this cartoon, the first thing I see is a woman in a frying pan. This woman is additionally conventionally attractive. She is also holding the Cuban flag. I think that the woman depicts Cuba as a country. She is attractive and desirable, just how Imperialistic Americans believed Cuba was desirable. She is being held by a frying pan that says “Spanish Misrule.” This is obviously a jab towards Spain. Though, she is also being held above fire that reads anarchy. The caption makes it much easier to understand as it says “The duty of the hour–to save her not only from Spain but from a worse fate.” All of these aspects lead me to believe that this is pro-war. It convinces Americans that we are saving Cuba, therefore we should go to war. Additionally this goes to the masculinity topic discussed previously. Many males may see the gorgeous women and understand the need to save her–Cuba.
I think that the article’s gendered interpretation about the Spanish American War is somewhat true. The article claims that one reason for the Spanish American war was because men didn’t feel as masculine as they thought they should. They therefore had to go to war to prove to the world that American men were just as strong as ever. This makes more sense when comparing it to the fact that Teddy Roosevelt’s generation grew up with epic stories of the civil war. I think this caused American men to feel that they had expectations to live up to. Although this may be one of the reasons for the Spanish American war, I moderately agree with this gendered interpretation because it also leaves out many other factors that led to war.
One strength of using a gender lens is that it can help uncover often overlooked roles of genders, mostly women. History that we read is generally written by white males. So the people we learn the most about are white males. The gender lens could help shift the focus onto both men and women. The disadvantage to using a gender lens is that it has the potential to overlook other important factors in people such as race, ethnicity, and sexuality which are all just as significant as gender.
The woman in the center of the cartoon most likely represents the nation of Cuba because of the flag she is holding. The caption suggests that it is the responsibility of someone (The United States) to save her (Cuba) from its struggles with Spain, signified by the frying pan labeled Spanish misrule. When looking at this through a gender lens, the question becomes, Why is Cuba represented by a woman? In the late 1800’s when this cartoon was made, women were still considered to be weak and fragile and they needed the help of men. This cartoon portrays Cuba as a woman because the United States thinks Cuba is weak and fragile and can only be saved by them, the man. In addition, the fact that Cuba is in the Spanish misrule pan may be representing how women were mistreated and taken advantage of by stronger powers. Even today, there is an idea that two men can fight over one woman and whoever wins “gets the girl” because they are the strongest and will be most able to help the “fragile” woman.
I agree with using the gender lens to look at the Spanish American war. I believe men who look up to these civil war heroes who were strong and resilient associate it with their masculinity. Fighting in a war seems like the most “manly” thing that they can do to live up to the image of their heroes. This is also the time where women started working outside of the workplace therefore some men may feel threatened by women obtaining the same jobs as them in there regular life and see fighting in a war as something only a man should, or even can, do.
I think the strengths of using this lens is it not only looks on the effects it had on the war but it also seeps into society’s view on masculinity and femininity. It gives you a whole new perspective on the war that I would never have thought of. It can show what was expected of men and women and possibly how they felt. I think it’s also important that any time we look at equality issues between men and women in history is that when our country was founded and our constitution was written, women were not taken into account on any level. No one could have pictured the roles women have in the workforce during the Spanish American war and definitely not today. The weakness is that it’s only a possibility of how they felt. We can’t really know how these people were feeling, this an educated guess.
I think that the political cartoon above through the gender lens is looking how men view their masculinity. The caption reading “To save her from not only Spain but a worse fate” is a clear indicator that men are trying to save women by fighting in wars. It’s a reminder of their wives and daughters at home that gives soldiers the motivation to fight for their country. This cartoon also depicts the women as weak, in the picture it isn’t apparent that she’s trying to fight back she just looks confused and like she’s in distress. The woman is also holding a cuban flag which displays Americas need to protect not just American women but all Cubans as well. This shows the America thinks that the Cubans would thrive better off of democracy or American rule because they are being fried under the flame of anarachy.
I believe that gender roles had a big factor in the determining causes of the Spanish American War. It had been a while since the real major war, and a lot of men wanted to show their masculinity and prove that they can protect people. With the large rise of the new New Women movement did not exactly help. People apart from the New Women were taking over many of men’s jobs and making them less and less useful and threatening their masculinity. Slowly over time men started to feel less and less useful to their country. When a conflict with Spain started, I think in the back of their heads they wanted it to turn it into a war and show that they were worthwhile. As the men went out into war many women had to go back to their old roles of taking care of the house and kids while the men were gone.
One of the strengths of using this lens is being able to see things through the eyes of different genders. You could see the possible reasons for why the men wanted to start a war and defend their country, and even more important to them, their dignity. Using the gender lens just gives us an overall better insight into what was really going on, and it gives us a different perspective. This lens can also be applied to multiple times in U.S history. The biggest weakness of the lens is that you only get two perspectives, unlike if you use a racial lens, you could see through many many more perspectives in America, especially because of all the immigration that happened prior to this event. You can miss out on a lot of other reasons that the Spanish war may have started, and only looking at the perspectives of men and women won’t exactly tell you the whole story. There had to be many other factors involved for a war to break out.
As I analyzed the cartoon of the Cuban woman in the frying pan, I saw how the Americans were trying to save the Cuban country from Spanish anarchy. We see the Cuban land in anarchy symbolizing that Spain did not take care of Cuba, and it would be better off in our hands. This cartoon strongly connects to the gender lens because we can see a Cuban woman being held back by a frying pan, and I think it was strategic to make it a woman, to make it seem like a damsel in distress. It could also be analyzed like a man affirming this Cuban woman to American culture, only to make them do common house chores such as cooking and cleaning, hence the frying pan.
In this interpretation of the Spanish- American war, cartoons are used to convey each side of the war, both pro-imperialist and anti- imperialist messages. In these cartoons women are portrayed as the weak side, either a man is being weak and acting like a woman or a woman is being hurt and the men need to protect her. I think that this interpretation is sexist because it shows women as less than, old, and frail. I also think that there are other ways to depict the sides of the war without using women as a punching bag. Consistently posting these images in newspapers and other things that are spread to many people act to confirm the idea that women are less than. This gives men an overly inflated sense of confidence and tells women that they are weak.
One strength of this lens is that it is an easy way to show who is weak in the cartoon. For example, showing McKinley’s fear of fighting the Spanish through an old woman, is very clearly a way of showing that being afraid of fighting is bad and “woman-like”. This lens is also used to show the cruelty of the spanish, hurting people that are less able than them, an example of this is depicting Cuba as a hurt mother with her child and the spanish standing above her with a cannon. This continues the idea that women are weak and shows that both sides of the war used this strategy. A weakness of this lens is that it is against women and works to undo all of the previous work that had been done by women to work on changing their image to being equal to men and these widespread cartoons disagreed with this messaging. Another weakness is that these cartoons would not appeal to those who were for gender equality. All of this supports the idea that many men feared the power of the “New Woman” who had the right to vote and be in politics.
In this cartoon, Cuba (represented by a woman) is in a frying pan labeled Spanish Misrule being held above her country in flames of anarchy. This cartoon shows the cruelty of the Spanish and how the way the Spanish controlled Cuba caused chaos and the country in flames shows this. Showing Cuba as a woman plays into the idea that women are fragile and need to be saved by America (the man) and that America would be doing the right thing by getting involved. The caption says that America needs to save her from not only Spanish rule, but also will need to fix the state of the Cuban government which has fallen apart under the rule.
1. Both perspectives have their negatives and positives. While this perspective gives new insights into why the Spanish-American war occurred and how it was fought, it gives complexity to the gender roles within this period. Moreover, this gendered interpretation showed how men started to feel like their masculinity was put into question, with examples like the “New Woman” and women starting to go into the “sphere of men” with things like politics and showing their intelligence and morality. All of this vs. the men who fought in the war only for a need to try and prove themselves that they were what a man was considered to be at the time. As the war progressed, the “New Woman” started to perish because men were the ones forcing women to go back to their “proper” gender-assigned roles of raising the next generation of men and more. Overall, this new lens illustrated the different insights of how men felt during the time of women’s rights growing and becoming more involved within “their roles”.
2. A strength in using this lens is being able to see for one of the first times how men’s masculinity started to feel endangered by the presence of a woman. To add onto that, it also illustrated the true progress and effect of the growing women’s rights movement on the nation and how their presence started to be recognized, yes as a threat, but recognized nonetheless. Within class, we’ve seen many examples of women appearing within the political space, but this article, shows how men felt about it, especially with a war on the brink, it pushed them to feel the need to prove themselves mostly to society during this time. This lens also is acknowledged, not just in the sense of gender roles and specifically the Spanish-American war, but also as American history as a whole, because to get to the extent of this article, many different things had to occur for this to become possible. As for the weakness of this lens, it’s a very close-minded view of why this war happened because it’s mostly saying that these men fought to show that they were “real men” instead of showing the multiple different points of view because this isn’t the only reason the war was fought.
3. The cartoon of the Cuban woman with the frying pan shows a pan being held over a land on fire labeled, Anarchy. The pan itself is labeled “Spanish Misrule” with the Cuban woman inside of it. This cartoon represents how Spain never had a right to rule over Cuba and is shown as the antagonist in this perspective with all these labels. While using the gender lens, it can show how this can be one of the causes of the war and how American men had to fight in the war because it was thought that America should have control over Cuba rather than Spain. This also pushed the narrative that America felt the need to save the women in Cuba and be a part of America as a territory and its society as a whole.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
Yes I believe that gender roles were one of the causes that led to the Spanish American war. American Men were then recently going through a “crisis of manhood.” Where men had been threatened by the eruption of “New Women.” With the rise of these ladies, many were on their way to become a part of political positions. Which threatened an all-male way of politics. The influence of women’s rights and a pushed agenda of the superiority of women, was enough for men to feel corrupt. Then with the depression of 1893, Men lost more than just their jobs, but the sense of respect and indepdence for themselves and their country. This meant that men were more vulnerable and eager to jump at any opportunity for any way to prove their strength and villainous ways of solving problems. War. With men away, women would have no choice but to return to their “normal” roles. With women not being able to stand in the way anymore, Men would get their “respect” back.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
A strength of using this lens is portraying a different way of thinking that isn’t always as commonly used for a war. But a helpful part of this lens, is that it can be applied to any sort of event. By using the gender lens we see a different perspective that further explains why certain issues and events occur. In this case, we are able to see how the progress of women was escalating so much that men felt the need to upstage them. But an evident problem and weakness of using the gender lens is that it only shows a small portion of why this war was fought. It doesn’t show the other leading and primary factors like the economic and political pulls that made others eager to fight. This lens is not effective enough to explain situations to the full, but it is a good resource to explain further and give another reason why something occurred.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
Using the gender lens, this cartoon includes a Cuban women with the Cuba flag inside a frying pan on the side are the words “Spanish Misrule”. Under the frying pan is a island that is on fire with the words “Anarchy.” On the island two camps are separated by this fire. I think the frying pan represents the mistreatment of Cuba by Spain. With the cuban women, I think America felt that cuban woman and Cuba needed to be “saved” by Spain. Believing that these women needed to learn American ways and be “saved” by them.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I agree with the lens used in the article which puts the jealousy for civil war vets and the desire for glory and gallantry as one of the large causes of the Spanish American War. It does make a lot of sense that the perceived glory of war appealed to many people who enlist during war, the men of the country were also in a bad place and wanted to prove their worth to others and themselves. Furthermore it comes as no surprise that Teddy Rosevelt who was immersed in the glory of America and believed in his toughness. Furthermore, Teddy probably had quite an ego which caused him to want to fight and because he was so polarizing and captivating, he caused others to think similarly to him. So overall, this view makes perfect sense.
What is the strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
The strength in using this lens is that it allows the user to look at issues from a different angle and it also challenges traditional views which allows for new perspectives and an overall better understanding of the topic. Furthermore another strength of looking at the gendered lens is that you see how women worked behind the scenes of history which is not usually shown. Unfortunately there is some weakness in this lens as many people tend to dislike it because it honestly looks into flaws that men have had throughout history and this challenges many men. This view may be hard to accept which is not really a flaw, however another possible issue may be that the view focuses more on the people and their views than on the actual historical events and battles.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
The rough riders cartoon shows teddy Rosevelt charging into battle bravely with other rough riders behind him, it also shows him and the americans as people who appear to be giants compared to the spanish who are retreating. This is the glorified version of what many men believed would happen if they went to war instead of the actual horrors of war. Overall this image depicts the perceived glory of war believed in by many men who actually had no clue how horrible killing was, furthermore, this a very masculine image of patriotism seen nowadays in many MAGA protests. If one looks closer, the caption reads, “The Rough Riders, Rough on the Spaniards, Whether They Ride or Walk”. This shows how the American Men came into the conflict arrogant of their power and pretty much already knew that they would easily win, this is pretty similar to just picking on someone smaller than yourself.
I agree with this view that the causes of the Spanish-American war could have been caused by America who desperately wanted to show their masculinity and flex their muscles to the world. The article does a great job of pushing this point when it mentions political cartoons of the time. One drawing, as the article states, shows Uncle Sam ripping his jacket to show his chest and looking to fight Spain. Many cartoons show expansionists looking for war as extremely masculine and men who didn’t want war were shown as feminine and weak. McKinley is even shown as a woman in one of them during his time as president. At the time, men felt like they needed to prove their masculinity and one of the easiest ways to do so was to go to war. Overall US foreign policy was dominated and influenced by Jingoaism, an aggressive and masculine attitude when it came to foreign policy.
A strength of this lens is that it takes into account social factors and causes for the war which you can’t entirely capture through empirical analysis. The history books can’t always effectively capture the public mood when describing reasons for war and that is an advantage that looking through this lens can give you. A disadvantage of this lens is that it is very narrow and doesn’t take into account many of the political and economic reasons for this war. It is based on the reasoning that all the causes for the war like the De Lome letter, and even the reaction to the sinking of the USS Maine were overreacted and reacted in a masculine, war-hungry way. It ignores yellow journalism as a huge cause of the war and support for Cuba. Americans had economic interests in the Philippines, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico which only the US military could have protected. Overall the gendered lens is a useful tool in understanding the Spanish-American war.
This cartoon is where a Cuban lady is being fried over the flames of anarchy caused by American men who aggressively caused chaos in Cuba. Using the gendered lens we can infer that the point of the cartoon is to show that peaceful Cuban citizens who are characterized by the woman have no control over the situation that has been imposed on them. The pan going over the flame represents how the Spanish mishandled Cuba when over gungho, unorganized, American nationalists are deciding the woman’s fate for her.
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I feel like while the gendered interpretation of why people went to war during this time is likely accurate in some cases, I feel like it wasn’t the only driving cause of why men would go to fight in the war. Considering that everyone wants to go and fight for liberty and justice on top of the fact that the Yellow Paper is really driving them to believe that the U.S. is being attacked by Spain (the Maine bombing that killed hundreds). Considering that this propaganda is driving people to fight against the Spaniards and fight for Cuba’s independence, something that they admire because we did it ourselves around 100 years ago, I don’t think that comparing men to women and stating that they are weak and frail and chickens for not fighting back was the driving cause of people going to fight in the war.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
Using this lense really opens my eyes to how people used to think and imagined women and their importance and the strength of this lense really allows me to see that men’s ideals of what they should be and their egos were (and are) so strong and that we’ve really come a long way from this, but it also shows how people really wanted to diminish women at this time and that by calling women weak and frail and then comparing men to it, they’d want to go to war and fight, so it really targeted the mindset of men who had very frail and fragile egos. On the other hand, this lense is fairly weak because it only shows this one side and contributes everyone that joined the war only really did so because they didn’t want to be viewed as frail and weak and like women, so they went and gave their lives so that they wouldn’t be called those names, even though there were a lot more contributing factors to why people went to war, besides trying to maintain a high ego.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
The image is depicting a fire (anarchy) essentially allowing the Cuban woman and Spanish misrule to burn and cook away. The depiction likely means that they think that anarchy is allowing the Cuban people to suffer in the fire of it, and because they are depicted as women, it’s showing how they are too chicken and weak to be able to fight back against it and that they need to start fighting back, rather than letting the Spanish misrule (the pan) contain them and prevent them from fighting back against the anarchy that fuels the Spanish misrule. The gender truly shows how they think that the Cuban people are weak and failing because they aren’t fighting back against the anarchy and Spanish misrule by depicting them as women who they label as weak and frail and unable to fight back against anything.
1. Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
I completely believe this could be a motive of America, as the wave of reforms and adamant campaigning of women could have bruised many men’s ego beyond belief. Here, these supposedly “fragile” and “domestic” women were taking to the streets to protest their treatment, and suddenly, men were forced into roles of corruption as the industrial age soared. Being “manly” in Civil War times used to be associated with taking charge and forcibly securing honor and a legacy, something that industrialism had impeded on, with later generations of war hero’s becoming “soft” by the comforts of the Progressive Era. On the other hand, women were gaining more control over their own autonomy, and men began to resent them for that fact, which made them want to rekindle the valor they had lost to women.
2. What is the strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
In using this lens, we can better understand the politics of the time period, and the forced way that politics continued to undermine women and promote men, even at women’s expense. However, this may be too simplified to be considered a major cause of the war. Expansionist ideology and the desire of America to stand tall as a world power were huge influences in promoting and funding the prospects of “gifting” freedom to all. By helping Cuba, and originally claiming they wanted no part in leading the country, America tried to stand true to its principles and fight a war solely to help others (which eventually did change with the addition of the Platt Amendment, which completely destroyed any progress from the Teller Amendment). Yellow press additionally influenced popular media, where sensationalism met half-truths and papers were sold as a way to drum up sales, not spread the truth to all. These factors and more were all arguably more impactful than gender, but all still added up to the total product: war.
3. Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
In the cartoon, anarchy, up in flames, is helping to fuel Spanish misrule of Cuba, who are the women in the pan holding a Cuban flag. Since Cuban misrule could be misinterpreted as weak or disorderly, something women’s traits were aligned with in those times, it is depicted by the woman. The mistreatment of Cuba by Spain and wish for Cuban independence meant that Spain had doubled down, causing revolts across Cuba, which started a cycle that the US intervened on to restore peace and freedom. The woman’s control was usually under the shadow of the husband, who chose to mold her into a housewife, similar to how the Spanish tried to coerce Cuba to follow their regime.
I do agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War because it offers a very detailed interpretation of everything that was happening during the time. It shows how historians tend to over-complicate the events of American history while many can come down to simple reasons such as this (gender). Another reason that tends to get me to believe this interpretation is the evidence that the article uses such as specific political cartoons which shows how these gender-related cartoons were being published. For example, the cartoon that shows McKinley as an “old-woman” for trying to not fight the Spanish. This shows the symbols of masculinity and femininity constantly displayed throughout this time period.
2. A strength of using this lens for this article is using more perspectives to see the standards of war and society and time. Using this lens, you can discover motivations behind not only this war, but almost every war in American history. It’s a unique way to investigate something as we usually don’t see the gender lens used to find hidden meanings in old text. Most people would look at the historical and political situation happening at the time. One weakness of using this lens to describe the Spanish-American war is the fact that it over-simplifies elements of history into a simple category. Reasons that the Spanish-American war happened are extensive and can’t be brought down into such an over-simplified category. For example, America’s yellow press and the explosion of the U.S.’s ship (The Maine) were some reasons that the war happened.
3. The cartoon of the Cuban woman in a frying pan is clearly meant to show how America is saving Cubans from Spanish misrule and “a worse fate”. The illustrator’s significant choice to choose a woman to be the one who has to get “saved” shows the gender norms and stereotypes of this time. With men fighting below near the flames of anarchy and the man’s hand holding the pan, we can see what the person who made the illustration was likely trying to represent. The illustrator is demonstrating how men are supposed to fight in the wars while women need to get saved from this “anarchy” and misrule. The purpose of the illustration is to get men ready to fight in a war and save the women. This stereotypical portrayal of gender roles shows how different American society was back then.
(1)I agree with the gendered interpretation of the war but to an extent, as it explains only one of the smaller goals the U.S. hoped to achieve by winning the war. The main reason the U.S. entertained the war was that they knew they could gain control over territories in a way that would declare them a world power. In asserting this sort of dominance, the concept of Darwinian competition rearose with white males on top, again. The re-emergence of this topic then translated to American politics and the average American home where women began to play more active roles in and outside the home. Unfortunately, triumphs during the war increased a sense of masculinity, which in turn shut down many attempts of women to stray from the traditional and conservative roles assigned to them.
(2)The strength of viewing the causes of the war from a gender view is seeing who and what were striving for progress. The women, who began to expand their circle of influence and interact more with people and things outside of the home, pushed to be progressive and give stability to politics at the time. However, the men who preferred competition amongst themselves, rather than with other races or the opposite gender, were conservative and perfectly happy with their social and political standings. The weakness of this lens is that the focus is more social when the causes of the war often concerned economic expansion and gaining political power at the world level.
(3)The cartoon from Puck portrays the country, Cuba, as a female damsel in distress. Interpreting this illustration with a gender lens, allows the audience to see that the author views Cuba as weak in comparison to the Spanish misrule that it cannot overcome, and the anarchy that is down below. The femininity of the figure in the spotlight is emphasized by her long hair and dress, which may hint at the modesty of women that reflects their limited sphere of interaction. What words the author uses in this illustration also note the influence of gender on the piece. The pan that the female is in says “Spanish misrule” and the fire beneath her says “anarchy”. I interpret this as the author’s way of saying that either way, the female will not be able to operate freely, but one of the choices offered to her is more ideal than the other. However, America then presents itself, as an option to escape the Spanish and maintain a false sense of independence. This is similar to the separate spheres, that made the average American
Do you agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not?
Yes, I agree with the gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War as it aligns with the societal norms and pressures prevalent during the late 19th century. The evidence points to a generation of leaders in the 1890s who lacked the opportunity for the same kind of conflict experienced by their fathers in the Civil War, which was often seen as a test of manhood. The absence of such a defining conflict left many feeling a sense of emasculation or inadequacy, as they were unable to prove their valor and masculinity on the battlefield like previous generations. This diminished sense of manliness could have fueled a desire for military action to assert dominance and regain a sense of masculinity. Moreover, the propaganda surrounding the war heavily emphasized notions of manhood, framing the conflict as an opportunity for men to prove their worth and reclaim their masculinity by fighting for their country. Therefore, considering these factors, it is evident that a gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish-American War is valid and helps to contextualize the motivations behind the conflict.
What is a strength of using this lens? What is a weakness? Explain.
A strength of using the gendered lens to analyze the causes of the Spanish-American War is its ability to weave together various motives from disparate groups into a cohesive narrative. By highlighting the societal pressures and expectations surrounding masculinity, it provides a nuanced understanding of why different individuals might have been compelled to support the war. However, a weakness of this lens is its potential to overlook other significant factors driving conflict, such as economic greed and racial prejudices. While masculinity may have played a role, focusing solely on this aspect could obscure deeper-rooted issues like imperialism, economic interests, and racial tensions, which also contributed significantly to the outbreak of the war.
Interpret the cartoon above of the Cuban woman in a frying pan (or the one below of the Rough Riders) using the gender lens. Describe in detail how you can use gender to interpret different aspects of the cartoon.
The cartoon of the Cuban woman includes a woman in a frying pan waving a Cuban flag. The frying pan she’s in is labeled “Spanish Misrule”. The pan is being held above the flames of a land. The flames are labeled “anarchy”. The flames are in between what seems to be two different camps. The woman in the frying pan represents the fact that Spain did not rule Cuba fairly which is implied by the text on the pan. It seems that it’s a man holding the pan which signifies that the man is trying to assimilate the Cuban women into American culture. This would only result in them doing the common chores of cooking and cleaning while the men can be left to war hence the land on fire with the words “anarchy” and the two different camps. This clearly shows the different gender roles and the previously talked about lens in this interpretation and cartoon.
1. I agree with this gendered interpretation of the causes of the Spanish American War. For men, it was a threat to their masculinity and they needed to prove that they were still superior to women. The rise of the “New Woman” threatened to emasculate men and they worried that the comforts were making men appear more soft. This was specifically more for men of the higher classes because they are so used to being treated like royalty due to their wealth so clearly this would upset them and cause them to revolt and rise up. The gendered cartoons in William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal also were giving in on this conflict. The meaning of these cartoons were essentially saying that “true men” needed to “go to war to protect the principles of chivalry and the women who embody them; dishonorable men ravage women or become them.” As women were rising in the social hierarchy, men became threatened by this and once the opportunity came up, men took it.
2. The strength of using this lens is to give a different perspective within history. We know that most men never had to question their masculinity. Social Darwinism proves this, the belief in “survival of the fittest”. It is the idea that certain people are superior because they are born to be better. This can also be related to Manifest Destiny in a way because of the fact that white American men were destined to expand westward and it was a God given right. Although, a weakness of viewing it from a gendered perspective is that there were many causes of the Spanish American War. Only looking at it from the gendered perspective can limit the many other factors that may have influenced the war.
3. In the cartoon by Puck, it is a woman holding the Cuban flag on a frying pan held by a man. The pan that the woman is on says “Spanish Misrule” on it. Below the woman, there is land below it and the words “Anarchy” are being displayed. The whole land is on fire and there are tiny little men with what looks like swords. Since they have swords, we can assume that they are fighting in a war. The woman is most likely representing Cuba because she is holding the flag. Also, she doesn’t look happy, the face she is making makes me believe that she is uncomfortable. I believe this relates to the gendered interpretation of the causes as well as the Spanish-American War. Cuba was fighting for their independence with Spain so I predict that the hand is Spain controlling Cuba. Since the pan has “Spanish Misrule” on it, the pan is the harsh treatment Cuba is getting from Spain and below them is the war that is happening.