DEMOCRATS IN CONCERT WITH LABOR

By: James Murphy

Sourcing

What

This political cartoon, titled “A Strange Bed-Fellow, Indeed“, which appeared in the Minneapolis Journal, portrays Samuel L. Gompers, who was the AFL president, as depicting the Democratic Party as being in-bed with the Labor movement during the 1908 Presidential Election, due to his endorsement of W.J. Bryan, the Democratic nominee for President.

When

September 28, 1908.

Where

Who/Creator

This political cartoon was created by Charles Lewis Bartholomew.  It is from the Charles Lewis Bartholomew Cartoon Proofs and Biographical Material collection.

Contextualization

The hotspots in the political cartoon highlight and analyze its historical context.

“A Strange Bed-Fellow Indeed,” created by Charles Lewis Bartholomew, appeared in the Minneapolis Journal on September 8, 1908.  This depiction is courtesy of the Hennepin County Library, for public display and use of content.  For more information about “A Strange Bed-Fellow Indeed,” please visit https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/Bart/id/6595

Citations

(1) “Samuel Gompers,” AFL-CIO: America’s Unions.  Accessed October 10, 2022.  https://aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-people/samuel-gompers

(2) “Our History,” We are the Democratic Party.  Accessed October 10, 2022.    https://democrats.org/who-we-are/our-history/

(3)  “Our Labor History Timeline,” AFL-CIO: American’s Unions.  Accessed October 12, 2022. https://aflcio.org/about-us/history

(4)  “The Alliance of U.S. Labor Unions and the Democratic Party,” Scholars Strategy Network.  Accessed October 12, 2022.  https://scholars.org/contribution/alliance-us-labor-unions-and-democratic-party

(5)  Aurelia Glass, and Madland, David, and Teixeira, Ruy.  “Unions are Critical to the Democratic Party’s Electoral Success,” American Progress Action Org.  December 21, 2021.  https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/unions-critical-democratic-partys-electoral-success/

(6) “Minneapolis Journal,” Minnesota Historical Society.  Accessed October 13, 2022.  https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/hub/minneapolis-journal

(7)  “Minneapolis Journal,” Minnesota Historical Society.  Accessed October 13, 2022.  https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/hub/minneapolis-journal