The shade of Jefferson protests
Subject(s): Hill, David B. (David Bennett), 1843-1910, History, Imperialism, Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826, Philippine American War (Philippines : 1899-1902), Philippines, Speeches, addresses, etc., United States
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David B. Hill stands on a platform, speaking to an unseen audience. He holds a paper that states “Jefferson! Jeffersonianism!! Jeffersonian Simplicity!!!” The ghost of Thomas Jefferson is tapping him on the elbow. Caption: “Hold on there, David! – Don’t make me ridiculous! Remember, I was always an Expansionist – and if I were alive to-day I should be doing just as McKinley and Roosevelt have done.”
Comments and Context
David Bennett Hill, the former governor and senator from New York State, was a Democrat whose career seemed defined by his concurrent rise to power, and perennial opposition to, fellow New York Democrat Grover Cleveland. While senator, he was a rare Eastern Democrat who favored bimetallism, one of the reasons that Cleveland came out of retirement in 1892, to thwart Hill’s presidential ambitions. Cleveland won the nomination and re-election and in 1896 supported, though somewhat tepidly, the Populist-Democrat William Jennings Bryan. Through all political apostasies, he found himself having to assert his party loyalties, stating more than once, “I am a Democrat,” which mantra became a feast for cartoonists. In this cartoon by Pughe, Hill’s hyperbolic identification with Jefferson slightly distorts history. Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase was regarded by the third president as an aberration or at least an evolution, not a revelation: he originally desired to acquire Louisiana itself and the port of New Orleans. France’s offer turned his head. Ironically, it was the remnants of the Federalist Party that opposed the deal, which almost doubled the land area of the United States. The cartoons maintains that Jefferson was a pragmatist, and Hill was not.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1902-06-11
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The shade of Jefferson protests. [June 11, 1902]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o276234. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. The shade of Jefferson protests. [11 Jun. 1902]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o276234.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1902, June 11]. The shade of Jefferson protests.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o276234.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
