This cartoon shows personified World War I separating countries from their chains to alcohol. The man with the decree on separation is a representation of Russia, who legalized prohibition from 1914 until 1925. The man to his right, holding a separation for absinthe, is a personified France, which banned the manufacture and sale of absinthe in 1914. The man chained to whiskey seeking freedom is representative of Great Britain, who never ratified any serious form of a national alcohol ban. There are many theories as to why these countries (including the United States from 1920-1933) banned the sale or manufacture of alcohol in some way. The cartoon suggests these bans were caused by what many referred to as the "efficiency campaign," which was depicted as the axe used to separate alcohol from these countries. The efficiency campaign suggested these countries were more productive when its citizens (especially laborers) were sober. After banning the sale of alcohol in Russia, the government proudly announced Russia's increased labor output and better economic standing. The heightened need for resources, and diminished labor force from World War I is thought to have inspired the need for higher economic efficiency in European nations. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This editorial cartoon depicts people watching the National Army of the Republic parade outside the window. A man wonders who will be "the Grant of this war." This is most likely one of the many parades held by military forces while the United States was fighting in WWI. This cartoon is captioned. "In the National Army Parade today, you are likely to see the man you'll all be cheering and voting for in years to come". The "Grant of this war" is a clear reference to Ulysses Grant, the eighteenth president of the United States from 1869 to 1977. Ulysses Grant was a general in the Civil War, and he is often given much credit for the Union's victory. After being appointed General-in-Chief by Abraham Lincoln in 1864, Grant would accept General Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House, which effectively ended the Civil War. This cartoon suggests the future leaders of the United States would likely have served in World War I. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon depicts a line of men waiting for food during the winter. One of them is holding a sign that says, "He kept us out of work". This sign is a play on President Wilson's campaign slogan, "He kept us out of war". There were some areas of United States economy struggling in 1913, making many individuals unemployed. In 1913, many criticized President Wilson's economic initiatives to be harmful to workers, and contributing to increased in unemployment. Such initiatives included further limiting commercial trusts and requiring investigations be made when particular businesses changed the wages of their workers. These investigations would be used to evaluate the costs of the factories, which was needed to determine guilt of criminal acts. In response to these initiatives, many factories closed operations or began to limit the changes that could be made to workers' wages. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon show Uncle Sam talking with President Wilson, Force, and Politics. Uncle Sam is insisting these parties do not allow someone to take the principle of arbitration outside the "ship of the state". Arbitration is a form of dispute resolution that gained popularity during the world wars. It was a quick and efficient way to resolve personal and commercial disputes without the time and effort associated with moving a claim through the traditional judicial system. The United States government began to use arbitration as a way to efficiently solve disputes involving wartime resources. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

Editorial cartoon depicting five panels of bi-plane dogfight scenes in World War 1. The planes with the iron cross symbol are German planes, while the planes with the roundels are either German or French.

This cartoon depicts President Woodrow Wilson planning his reelection campaign against Charles Evans Hughes during the presidential election of 1916. The first panel shows President Wilson calmly planning to take a passive role in the campaign until he receives a note that the state of Maine voted for Hughes by a narrow majority. The second panel shows a concerned Wilson receiving news that Hughes was addressing crowds in the West, whose vote Wilson was counting on for winning the election. The third panel shows a shocked Wilson learning Hughes was predicted to win the election by a large margin. Despite the assumptions made in this cartoon, Woodrow Wilson would defeat Hughes in the election of 1916, and he became the first democratic president to serve two consecutive terms in a row since Andrew Jackson. Woodrow Wilson appealed to many with his campaign slogan, "He kept us out of war," which appealed to many European (especially German) immigrants who did not wish to have the conflict of loyalty that would come from the United States joining World War I. Despite this, the United States would eventually enter World War I in 1917 during Wilson's second term. The Chicago Tribune published many articles in support of Hughes and his campaign. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon depicts Uncle Sam being held back by by men from fighting with his full strength. Uncle Sam is meant to personify the United States. Uncles Sam's weak arm represents the feeble military forces available through voluntary enlistment. Uncle Sam's bulky arm represents the United States's powerful military capability if it enacted the draft. The group holding back Uncle Sam is representative of congress. The two Germans represent Germany across the Atlantic. This comic is showing the disagreement in the United States of employing conscription during World War I. The United States fought in World War I from 1916 to 1918. The draft was eventually employed on May 18, 1917 until November 11, 1919 through the Selective Service Act of 1917. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)

This cartoon shows President Woodrow Wilson boarding a train. Uncle Sam is attempting to also board the train, but it seems he does not have a reservation. The bag President Wilson is carrying is titled, "League Covenant". This bag most likely refers to President Wilson's ambition to form the League of Nations, an collection of nations working together to create international unity. The League of Nations existed from 1920 to 1946. The United States never officially joined the League of Nations, because congress feared its membership would limit the United States' national sovereignty. At the time, many Americans suggested joining the League of Nations would not benefit the United States. However, there was also a population of Americans, including Woodrow Wilson, who believed The League of Nations' efforts towards international peace would offer great benefits to the United States. (Summary created by Mary Delano, MU History Intern, Spring 2018)