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Primary sourcePainting1837

Uncle Sam Sick with La Grippe

Henry Dacre (attributed) · 1837

An 1837 cartoon showing Van Buren and Jackson trying to treat an ailing Uncle Sam, blaming them for the Panic of 1837.

Van Buren appears as a doctor figure blamed for the Panic of 1837 and mocked as a 'weak old woman'.

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Black-and-white satirical political cartoon of Uncle Sam seated in a chair, ill and wrapped in a flag-patterned robe, while figures in 18th-century dress offer him medicine from a large syringe and talk bubbles. A tall eagle stands by a window, and a banner lists banks and cities with dollar amounts.
Attributed to Henry Dacre, Uncle Sam Sick With La Grippe, 1837. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is an 1837 lithograph, attributed to designer Edward Williams Clay and engraved and published by H.R. Robinson, held by the Library of Congress. It shows Uncle Sam sick in bed while figures including Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren offer remedies.

Why it matters

The cartoon blames Jackson and his successor Van Buren for the economic collapse known as the Panic of 1837, criticizing their hard-money policies that limited paper currency in favor of coin. It also shows banker Nicholas Biddle watching through a window, revealing how contemporaries connected political decisions to financial ruin.

Look closer

  • What symbols does the artist use to represent the United States, and what state are they in?
  • How does the cartoon show disagreement between Jackson, Van Buren, and Senator Benton about the cause of the crisis?
  • Why might the artist have shown a broken bust of George Washington?

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

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