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Primary sourcePainting1856

The Ostend Doctrine

Louis Maurer and Nathaniel Currier · 1856

A political cartoon from 1856 mocking Buchanan for his role in the Ostend Manifesto, which proposed the US take Cuba from Spain.

This cartoon criticizes Buchanan for his role in the controversial Ostend Manifesto urging US acquisition of Cuba.

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Black-and-white lithograph cartoon titled The Ostend Doctrine, showing four rough men surrounding a well-dressed man in a dark coat and cravat, who holds a top hat. One man grabs his collar and another reaches for his hat while speech bubbles issue threats. At right, a text panel reads Ostend Manifesto, October 18th 1854, signed by James Buchanan, John Mason, and Pierre Soule.
Louis Maurer and Nathaniel Currier, The Ostend Doctrine, 1856.

About this source

What it is

This lithograph cartoon, made in 1856 by Louis Maurer and Nathaniel Currier, shows James Buchanan being surrounded and threatened by four rough-looking men. Their taunts quote language from the Ostend Manifesto, a document Buchanan helped write in 1854 while serving as American minister to England, alongside ministers to Spain and France.

Why it matters

The Ostend Manifesto urged the United States to buy or seize Cuba from Spain, and it caused controversy for suggesting force could be used. This cartoon shows how critics attacked Buchanan publicly for his part in the plan before he became president, revealing how political cartoons were used to shame public figures using their own words against them.

Look closer

  • Why do the attackers' threats use the Manifesto's own phrases?
  • What does the choice to draw Buchanan as a helpless victim suggest about the cartoonist's opinion of him?
  • How might someone who supported the Ostend Manifesto see this image differently?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Buchanan on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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