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Thomas Nast was an ordinary child with an extraordinary talent. Never one for writing or arithmetic, his immigrant parents feared he would not even get through school with passing grades. Then they discovered an artist lived within him, and enrolled him in art school. There, he honed his talent until he was fifteen years old and needed to work to support himself and his family. It was then he walk... More

Thomas Nast was an ordinary child with an extraordinary talent. Never one for writing or arithmetic, his immigrant parents feared he would not even get through school with passing grades. Then they discovered an artist lived within him, and enrolled him in art school. There, he honed his talent until he was fifteen years old and needed to work to support himself and his family. It was then he walked into the offices of Frank Leslie�s Illustrated Newspaper and asked for a job. A storied career was had just begun.

In the mid-nineteenth century, America was a land full of newly arrived immigrants coming to New York City to work and live. Many did not know how to read or write English. Political cartoons were a very big and powerful way to reach out to people and express ideas and beliefs about the government and the way of the world. Thomas Nast became a voice of justice through his political cartoons. He became famous for his depictions of the Civil War, his political party illustrations, and even helped develop the now-popular image of jolly old Saint Nick. But his biggest battle came in his own hometown, where he decided to go up against William "Boss" Tweed and his Tammany Hall collaborators-notoriously crooked leaders of New York City, bribing and laundering money into their own overstuffed pockets. Though they tried, Nast was never intimidated by threats and he never backed down, even when his life was threatened. Through his political cartoons he made a difference, and it helped bring the Tweed Ring to justice. Thomas Nast: Political Cartoonist illustrates the power of art and conviction and the journey of this American icon.

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