“Make me an offer, gentlemen!”
Subject(s): Auctions, Philippines, Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)
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Uncle Sam stands on a platform with a Philippine man next to a sign that states “For Sale The Philippines. Inhabitants benevolently assimilated. – Sound and kind. – Child can govern them.” Uncle Sam is appealing to a group of European and Asian rulers, who show little interest, talking with each other in front of the platform.
Comments and Context
By 1907 the attitudes of America were subtly changing toward the possession acquired in the Spanish-American war. One person with a changing attitude was President Roosevelt. He had quietly but effectively diffused America’s bloody and shameful suppression of insurrectionists seeking freedom after liberation from Spain. Roosevelt, as president, declared amnesty even for the most dangerous rebels, and opened the jails. American troops quietly receded to virtual police duties as various Filipinos wrestled for governmental structures and leadership.
Secretary of War William H. Taft, who had served as Governor-General of the Philippines and was sympathetic to their people and the yearnings for independence, convinced Roosevelt of the necessity for special tariff status between the United States and Manila — reciprocity if it could be had. Roosevelt was stymied by Congressional advocates of American trusts, for instance sugar and tobacco growers.
The president privately was convinced that the Philippines could (but not immediately, responsibly) and should be free. He wanted to be assured of the country’s political stability; of the ability to establish permanent bases there; and to assess the role of Japan in coming years as Tokyo grew stronger, and more ambitious, militarily.
This last factor might account for cartoonist Frank A. Nankivell’s singular depiction of Japan in the cartoon. Other nations before the auction block seem disinterested in the proceedings, but the uniformed Japan winks, smiles, and points back to the lowly Filipino.;
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1907-10-09
Creator(s)
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
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:
“Make me an offer, gentlemen!”. [October 9, 1907]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285897. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959. “Make me an offer, gentlemen!”. [9 Oct. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 19, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285897.
APA:
Nankivell, Frank A. (Frank Arthur), 1869-1959., [1907, October 9]. “Make me an offer, gentlemen!”.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o285897.
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 19, 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.
