Life — October 26, 1899 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis This is a Clifford Berryman cartoon (signed '99, likely 1899) titled "THE ANGLO-SAXON" with the caption "WELL, SAW, WE ARE CIVILIZING IT." The image depicts Uncle Sam (identifiable by his star-spangled top hat and formal coat) standing over a battlefield strewn with bodies and casualties. He holds the American flag while surveying the destruction below. The satire critiques American military interventionism under the guise of "civilization." The cartoon suggests that Uncle Sam's claimed civilizing mission—likely referencing U.S. involvement in the Spanish-American War (1898) or its aftermath in the Philippines—actually amounts to warfare and death. The ironic caption underscores this disconnect between stated humanitarian goals and violent reality, questioning whether military conquest constitutes genuine "civilization."