It’s hard to believe that the man who pretty much gave us
the image of the Santa Claus we all know and love, was the same man who gave us
some of the most blatant anti-Irish cartoons of the 19th
century. So was Thomas Nast a racist? Some of you may know that I’ve been doing
research for a history of Lowell Irish due to come out in March of 2016. (More about that later.) When going through the hundreds of articles,
it’s clear that there were times in Lowell’s past when our ancestors were not
well-liked or wanted in Lowell. Some of
that may have been their own doing. It’s
also clear that there was a more liberal element in Lowell who wanted to
support these new people.
Nast is called the “Father of American cartoons.” He used his pen to show his opinions on many
topics Americans faced at the time and his own political views. German-born, Nast was educated in American
schools. He was raised Catholic, but at
some point converted to Protestantism.
Living in New York City he witnessed how Irish gangs were often involved
in some of the worst criminal activity in the city.
The cartoons we know so well show his views towards the Irish. But was he a racist? I was only aware of a number of his pieces of
work that all depict Irish as monkeys of thugs.
But Nast also drew cartoons that supported Chinese immigration, the abolition
of slavery, and opposed racial segregation.
(See Wikipedia for more info on his work.)
More than one piece of research on Nast denies the man was a
racist, claiming he was just being a political cartoonist. He was doing nothing different than any other
cartoonist of the time or today. It just
happens we know only his anti-Irish work.
There is also the point that as a political cartoonist his job was to
stir up debate and point out the current thinking of the day. Think of recent happenings in Paris. Was he just showing what others were
thinking? Was he anti-Irish or anti-Catholic? In his defense you could hardly find a newspaper in this time period that didn’t
run an anti-Catholic article, joke, or even an employment sign saying “No
Catholic need apply.” (This was also found in local papers.) So was he a racist
or just reflecting the views of his time in history? You decide.
Let me return to the book.
Help! It’s far more work than I
ever imagined. What is it people say
when a hobby becomes work? I’m on a search
right now for photos from the different churches and schools. St. Pat’s is well represented, but the book is
about Lowell. Can you help? I need pictures from Sacred Heart, St. Mike’s,
Immaculate, and St. Peter’s. The earlier
the better. I’ve got pics of the
buildings, but our story is really about people. The men and women who made up the
neighborhoods, the kids in school uniforms, the nuns and priests at work in
school and church. I’d love to get a
picture of one of the nuns from St. John’s Hospital. I think they had the big wings. Someday I’ll tell you the story of how I gave
one a smack across the face. Hey, I was
four, but I remember it. If you've got something to share please get in touch. dadumc@comcast.net
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