Judge — July 15, 1905 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1905 *Judge* cartoon depicts a confrontation between Uncle Sam (left, in stars-and-stripes) and a Chinese figure (right, wearing traditional dress). The Chinese figure holds documents labeled "Act to Exclude Chinese from the United States" and "Act Exclude Goods from China," while displaying a mirror-image banner reading "Act Exclude Goods from China." The satire critiques American exclusionary trade and immigration policies toward China. By showing the Chinese figure mirroring Uncle Sam's exclusionary stance, the cartoon suggests that restrictive American tariffs and the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) provoke reciprocal Chinese trade restrictions. The title "Tit for Tat" emphasizes this retaliatory dynamic—America's discriminatory policies generate equivalent Chinese responses, undermining American commercial interests in China.