{"id":1543,"date":"2018-05-08T07:52:05","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T11:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=1543"},"modified":"2019-04-05T18:56:12","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T22:56:12","slug":"cartoons-and-comics-arent-just-for-newspapers-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/cartoons-and-comics-arent-just-for-newspapers-anymore\/","title":{"rendered":"Cartoons and Comics Aren\u2019t Just for Newspapers Anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Did you know the first cartoon appeared in a U.S. newspaper way back in 1754? Benjamin Franklin\u2019s Pennsylvania Gazette featured the political cartoon \u201cJoin or Die\u201d on May 9, 1754. The picture showed the American colonies as a snake divided into eight pieces and presented the political point of view that the colonies should unite. Franklin used the comic to voice his political feelings to the public as a method to convince colonists of the need for colonial unity. Colonists faced many decisions about westward expansion and threats from the French and their Indian allies at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since that time, the use of comics and cartoons has spread beyond the political pages of our newspapers. Although comics still provide political commentary and opinions, we now see comics in a variety of both still and animated content. Think about some of your favorite recent movies; it is very likely some of them contain very sophisticated animations. According to Webster\u2019s Dictionary, these sophisticated films fit into the definition of a cartoon.<\/span><\/p>\n