VISUAL ACTIVITY

The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught, 1774, Engraved by Paul Revere Revere’s cartoon, a response to the Boston Port Act, shows Lord North forcing tea down the throat of America, depicted as an Indian maiden. The older woman is Britannia (known by her shield), who averts her eyes from the attack. Two British lords hold America down, while two other men to the left, representing France and Spain, look on with amusement and pleasure.

READING THE IMAGE: How does this cartoon rely on widely shared stereotypes of gender and sexual danger to express power relations in the masculine world of politics? What is gained by representing the country of Britain as a woman, in contrast to the male political figures?

CONNECTIONS: According to the Americans, in what sense was Britain forcing them to purchase and drink tea in 1773? Was that sense of coercion still in play in 1774, at the time of this cartoon?

Private Collection/Bridgeman Images.