Martin Van Buren, known as "the Little Magician" for his remarkable political agility, summons spirits to divine the Democratic or "Loco Foco" prospects for election in 1844. He sits in an astrological circle, conjuring up three imps in the smoke of his pipe, and addresses them: Spirits white and Gray appear! appear! / my call attend! my power revere! / Their destiny the Locos ask / Apply ye to the mighty Task! First spirit: Loco-Focos! desperate Chaps. / Make your speech & draw your Caps! / You've had your day--you've had free scope / And hanged yourselves with your own rope! Second spirit: When Arnold rises form the Tomb / To receive a Traitors doom! / When Yankee Children bear his name / And all are proud of Arnolds Fame! / Then Tyler shall his honors share, / And keep the Presidential chair! Third spirit: When the stars fall from above. / When the Globe shall cease to move, / When flowers grow amid the snow / And Lions fear the timid Roe. / When Lawyers shall refuse a feel / And misers pray for poverty /Till then, you'll find that many folk, / Will never vote for Master Polk! / Till then, they'd swing upon the Gallows / Before they'd vote for Master Dallas! Democratic nominees James K. Polk, wearing the striped trousers associated with the Loco Foco or radical wing of the Democratic party, and George M. Dallas stand at right. Visibly awed, Polk says, "By Heavens! these words remind me of the dream I had when I first heard of my nomination!" Dallas, fleeing to the right, asserts, "I'll get out of this scrape as quick as possible Texas wont save us!" On the left Andrew Jackson brandishes his cane and threatens, "By the Eternal! you old Hags! if I get hold of you, I'll hang you all up under the 7th section as I did Arbuthnot and Ambisiserter!" Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert Ambrister (not "Ambister") were two Englishmen hung by Jackson during the Florida campaign in 1818, for aiding the Seminole Indians in their fight against the general's militia. The act was one which Jackson's political foes invoked throughout his career as evidence of his brutality. |Entered . . . 1844 by J. Baillie.|Lith and pubd. by J Baillie 118 Nassau St. N.Y.|Signed: H. Bucholzer.|The Library's impression was deposited for copyright on August 23, 1844.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 81.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1844-40.

Another satire on Van Buren's alliance with extremists, here personified by radical abolitionist Abby Folsom. Van Buren's emergence as candidate of the Free Soil party in the 1848 presidential race was viewed as a reversal of his earlier administration stand on the issue. By invoking the specter of Benedict Arnold here the artist may also be criticizing Van Buren's repudiation of the regular Democratic party. On the left the ghost of Revolutionary War turncoat Benedict Arnold has emerged from his grave. He points threateningly toward "Abby Fulsome" (center) and Van Buren (right), and says, "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? Behold the Government is rent from thee, & is given to thy neighbor, even to [Democratic presidential nominee Lewis] "Cass." The Buffaloes will be delivered into the hand of thine enemies, & thou and thy Son shall be with me." The print must date between Van Buren's nomination at the Free Soil party convention, held in early August 1848 at Buffalo, N.Y., and Zachary Taylor's electoral victory over Cass in November. Van Buren and "Fulsome" recoil in horror at the sight of the spirit. Folsom observes, "An old man cometh up and he is covered with a mantle." Van Buren responds, "Our sufferings "is" intolerable." The quote was a well-known grammatical lapse of Van Buren's, widely exploited by the opposition during his term of office.|Entered . . . 1848 by J. Baillie. |Probably drawn by H. Bucholzer.|Published by James Baillie, 87th St. near 3d Avenue N.Y.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 90.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1848-58.

Again the theme of corruption in the Van Buren administration, here centering on the President's "Sub-Treasury" or independent treasury program, passed by Congress in July 1840. A large frigate "United States," rigged with "Sub Treasury Rags" sails, sits at anchor in a cove. From it several men empty barrels of "Treasury grains" into two dinghies. Rowing away in a third dinghy are (left to right) Martin Van Buren, John C. Calhoun, and Thomas Hart Benton. The boat is labeled "M. Von Kinder & Co. Shew Boat Absquabulation." Van Buren, sitting on the stern of the boat, declares, "I have taken Care of my self Let the People take care of themselves Heaven's for us all!" Calhoun sings as he rows:I came in your need, To serve you indeed; My views could scarcely soar higher, You must be aware, That the Plunder I'll share, Or I'll prove a staunch Nullifyer. Benton, also rowing: "I am Bent on Gulling the People to see the "promised" Gold & Silver [cropped] flowing up the Mississippi [cropped]." On the shore at left a group of people wave and hail William Henry Harrison, who leaves the bank in a boat. "Vox Populi, Vox Dei!" they cry, "Hurra Old Tip. / Dont Give up the Ship." In the background left is a log cabin, a fence, and a ploughman in a field. Though unsigned "The Little Magician" is no doubt the work of Philadelphia printmaker/satirist James Akin. In the peculiar handling of the figures and crowded composition it compares closely to his "The Massachusetts Hoar Outwitted" (no. 1845-6) and "Crib of Wolf Meat" (Quimby, no. 58). It also exhibits Akin's distinctive lettering and bordering style. "The Little Magician" is not listed in Quimby's checklist of Akin's work. |Drawn by James Akin, Philadelphia.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1840-40.

Several prospective Democratic presidential candidates travel along a canal in the "Salt River Barge," named after the proverbial river of political defeat. The passengers are (left to right): Lewis Cass, secretary of war William Marcy, Illinois senator Stephen A. Douglas, former secretary of state James Buchanan, and Texas senator Sam Houston. Martin Van Buren, pictured as a fox, pulls the barge, saying, "Never fear my Coves. I'll carry you straight, for I am well acquainted with this Road!" Houston, seated on a barrel of "Cold Water" in the bow of the barge, holds a flag marked "Maine Liquor Law" with a crown at the top of the pole. The Maine Law of 1851 was a prohibition measure subsequently adopted by several other states. Houston says, "We dont travel quite so fast as I did in Texas once!" Behind him, Buchanan looks through a periscope and exclaims, "I dont know but it looks to me as if we had travelled this way before!" Douglas, noticeably shorter than the rest, complains, "These old Fogies are out of date Young America expects Progress! I am for the annexation of Cuba, Canada, Mexico, and Japan!" Douglas represented the Young America faction of the Democratic party, a youthful element which was, among other things, expansionist in nature. Marcy, with the "50 Cents" trouser patch (see "Executive Mercy/Marcy and the Bambers," no.1838-5), conjectures, "If Matty stands by me now I think with a little manouvering the chances are in my favor!" Finally Cass, lying on his back in the rear of the barge, instructs Buchanan to "Wake me up . . . if any thing in particular happens I'm going to take a nap." (This may be a comment on Cass's advanced age and/or his physical corpulence in 1852.) From the rear of the boat flies a banner marked "Intervintion," perhaps a reference to the Democrats' advocacy of nationalist and republican movements in Europe and the Caribbean, or more particularly to American efforts on behalf of Hungarian nationalist leader Louis Kossuth in 1850. The print must have appeared before the Democratic convention in early June 1852, when the aspirations of these hopefuls for the presidency were extinguished by the nomination of dark horse candidate Franklin Pierce. |Published by J. Childs 84 Nassau St. N. York.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 92-93.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1852-12.

Another satire on the Glentworth scandal controversy, by the same artist as "The Last Card," "Evenhanded Justice," and "O. K." (nos. 1840-60, -62, and -63). Here the artist lampoons Democratic efforts to sensationalize the Glentworth proceedings. Glentworth is portrayed as a large striped cat frightening scullery maid "Miss Whiting" (actually New York District Attorney James R. Whiting). The cat has emerged suddenly from a large fireplace in a kitchen or cellar area, scattering firewood and andirons and frightening Whiting, who had been seated reading in a chair. Whiting has seized a fireplace shovel and tongs and confronts the cat. To his assistance rush four other Democratic principals in the Glentworth affair, descending the stairs to the left. They are (top to bottom) Van Buren friend and Loco Foco leader John W. Edmonds (brandishing a tomahawk marked "half-breed"), city recorder Robert H. Morris (holding the "fatal package"of evidence which Glentworth had tried to steal from Morris's office), influential New York Democrat Jesse Hoyt (holding a "tariff" stick, emblematic of Hoyt's office as collector of the port), and Federal District Attorney Benjamin F. Butler (holding a broom and paper marked "hypocrite").|Drawn by "Spoodlyks".|Printed & published by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt St. N. York|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 52.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1840-61.

A commentary on the Whigs' disappointment of "Loco Foco" Democratic expectations in the New York municipal elections of spring 1838. Successful Whig mayoral candidate Aaron Clark holds two horses by their tails saying, "Stop my good fellows, you are going on a fools errand, you are counting your chickens before they are hatched." On the horse on the right sits a man in the smock and hat of a carman or driver (one of the publicly licensed tradesmen who provided much of the radical Democrats' support in New York). The man may be Loco Foco mayoral candidate Isaac Varian or New York's Democratic congressman Churchill C. Cambreleng. He tries to ride toward Albany, expressing gubernatorial ambitions, "Marcy [i.e., Governor William L. Marcy] must resign in my favor, and I'll be next Governor myself for this job!" A man in Jacksonian uniform sits on a horse at left, headed in the direction of Washington. He is probably Tammany leader Jesse Hoyt. He says, "I shall insist on Matty's making me next Collector!" (Hoyt was in fact appointed collector of the port of New York the same year.) Both men wear ribbons inscribed "Loco Foco Victory" in their hats. The print seems to have been published almost immediately after the spring mayoralty election, in which the Loco Foco candidates were soundly defeated. It was registered for copyright on April 17, 1838.|Entd . . . 1838 by H.R. Robinson.|Printed & publd. H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt Street, New York.|Signed: Shanks fecit (Edward Williams Clay?).|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1838-11.

A satiric commentary on the effects of the landslide Whig victory in New York state elections in the autumn of 1838. President Van Buren (left) greets two of his defeated allies: incumbent governor William L. Marcy (center, in uniform) and Representative Churchill C. Cambreleng. Both men had the support of New York radical Democrats, or "Loco Focos." Van Buren: "Welcome old friends to me yet dear, Pray what the devil brings you here?" Marcy: "I have had leave to resign, and wish to be taken care of. If you had nothing better, I'll take the Office of Collector!" Cambreleng (wiping his eyes): "I am defeated in spite of the lamentations of the people!" Servant at the door, in a Dutch accent: "Vot rum-looking Coveys these is. I vonder Master admits them!" A portrait of Van Buren supporter Francis Preston Blair hangs on the wall of the room.|Entd . . . 1838 H.R. Robinson . . . Southn. Dist. of N.Y.|Printed & publd. by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt. St.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 53.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1838-12.

A satire on the Democrats' or "Loco Focos'" 1852 pursuit of Franklin Pierce for the presidential nomination. At the foot of the White Mountains in the "Dismal Swamp," an immense, swampy region of North Carolina and Virginia, Pierce is pursued by Loco Foco hunters in military uniforms. Pierce has been chased up a dead tree by either a fox (an allusion to party warhorse Martin Van Buren, perhaps) or a dog. Several hunters make their way through the water and tall grass toward him. Pierce cries, "Gentlemen don't fire! if you please I cant stand the smell of Powder! it makes me feel faint even to think of it!!" (On Pierce's reputation for fainting in combat see "The Game-Cock & the Goose," no. 1852-18.) A hunter standing on a log at left comments, "What a place to come to, find a Candidate." Another (standing at right) replies, "Well it aint such a bad spot, when the party are hard up, here's where we started that famous Poke [i.e., James K. Polk] in 44." A third hunter asks, "Ain't we got first rate men enough outside of this? I never heard of that fellow before." At far right, a man holding up a hat answers, "Thats just what we want, a Candidate, that nobody ever heard of; the people know our big men too well ever to elect any of them." A crane flies off to the right. |For sale by Nathaniel Currier at No. 2 Spruce St. N.Y.|Signed with initials: H.O.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 111.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1852-35.

A satire on the publisher's own troubles with the Democratic establishment in New York. In his print shop Henry R. Robinson is confronted by an unidentified man (center, arms crossed) who says, "I am determined this d---d Whig concern shall be shut up till after the Election." The man may be city surveyor and inspector Eli Moore. Robinson, standing with his back to a stove and holding a purse marked "$141," thumbs his nose and retorts, "Does Jesse Hoyt [Democratic strongman and collector of the port] know you're out?" The Custom House was the center of Democratic political control in New York. Robinson, a Whig, apparently ran afoul of the Democrats by his caricatures of Governor William L. Marcy. Marcy had recently been widely criticized for his handling of the Bamber case (see "Executive Mercy/Marcy and the Bambers," no. 1838-5). Two newsboys on the left ask, "Have you got any more of the Bamber Caricatures?" and "I want some more of your Whig Caricatures." Two men stand at the right, waiting to serve a notice of "Distress for Rent in Arrear." One of them says, "I'm afraid we sha'nt get our Rent." A shop clerk watches from behind the counter.|Drawn by "HD" (Henry Dacre?) or Edward Williams Clay.|Mention of the Bamber caricatures and recently appointed Collector Jesse Hoyt places "Loco Foco Persecution" in late 1838 or early 1839. Attribution to HD is based on the print's stylistic similarity to his "Specie Claws" (no. 1838-14), although the main figures seem to be drawn by a superior hand (possibly E.W. Clay).|Printed & publd. by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt St: 11 1/2 Wall & 38 Chatham St. N.Y.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 51.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1838-8.

Democratic patronage in New York is parodied in a scene of Loco Foco drivers or carmen rushing for cab licenses distributed by recently appointed collector of the port, Democratic stalwart Jesse Hoyt. Hoyt replaced former collector Samuel Swartwout, who had been friendly to Whig and conservative interests. Hoyt stands at the entrance to the Custom House, center and symbol of Tammany corruption in the city. He hands out licenses to Loco Foco drivers, who carry whips of "Old Hickory" (a reference to party patriarch Andrew Jackson). The drivers shout "Hurrah! for Van Buren" and "Loco Foco for ever!" A cart with the number 1838 and "Licensed by the Collector" stands nearby.|Printed & pubd. by H.R. Robinson, 52 Cortlandt St. 11 1/2 Wall St. & 58 Chatham st. N.Y.|Title appears as it is written on the item.|Weitenkampf, p. 53.|Forms part of: American cartoon print filing series (Library of Congress)|Published in: American political prints, 1766-1876 / Bernard F. Reilly. Boston : G.K. Hall, 1991, entry 1838-10.

In this problem-based learning module, students will examine various forms of media and the ways that it can influence personal and social behavior. They first will work in stations to examine different types of media and explore what that media is while also addressing how it makes them feel. Afterward, they will work in small groups to create their own influential piece of media which communicates a problem they feel is facing their school.

An engaging secondary reading (1400 Lexile) about Mexico's role in the American Revolution.

The Miss Indian America Pageant was launched by Sheridan residents in the 1950's to combat discrimination. In the accompanying lesson plan (found in the Support Materials) students will view the story told through the eyes of Miss Indian America title holders who held a reunion in 2013, serving as grand marshals in the Sheridan, WY Rodeo parade and commemorating a legacy of bridging cultures.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will identify the reason why the town of Sheridan, WY started the Miss Indian America Pageant.
Students will define the given vocabulary words.

"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" Text-Dependent Question organizer adapted from Acheivethecore.org.

Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas. Wasted food and the resources to produce that food are responsible for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In this storyline, students learn about the resources required to produce food through following the carbon cycle and discover how food waste contributes to climate change. They will also learn the farm to table transport chain as well as how to conduct a food waste audit. Finally, the students will research solutions to the problem of food waste that can be applicable to their own lives, their school, and their community. 

Learn what the futures of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes are, and how the tribes will retain their culture and tradition while preparing to move into the future? In the accompanying lesson plan (found in the Support Materials) students will understand the importance of education and perservation of the culture.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will demonstrate an understanding about the importance of education and preservation of the language and culture among the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribe from the past, present, and future.
Students will learn about the Federal Indian Policy to civilize Native Americans through the establishment of Native American Boarding Schools incorporating key vocabulary words.
Students will learn about how the practice of forced assimilation contributed to the diminished use of the Shoshone and Arapaho people’s lifestyle, languages, and traditions.
Students will discuss the development of Indian boarding schools in the United States and Wyoming.
Students will analyze the differences between the early educational experiences of the Native American and non-native students.
Students will examine the importance of education as a value that the Shoshone, Arapaho, and non-native communities share.
Students will consider how Native American students and non-native students can learn from each other to dispel the myths and stereotypes that exist in contemporary society.
Students will learn why oral traditions are important.
Students will understand why respect for elders is important in the tribe.
Students will gain an awareness of why traditional dancing and singing is important to traditions and culture.
Students will explore the significance of the buffalo to the Shoshone people living on the Wind River Reservation.
Students will learn that through traditional concepts of understanding, the Shoshone people, as well as many other Plains tribes, were able to survive through their sustenance on the buffalo.
Students will discuss the relationship that Native American people have with the buffalo (i.e., spiritual, sustenance, etc.) and how oral traditions play a critical role in the preservation of Native ways of knowing.

Since 1885 the Shoshone people have been without buffalo on their land. After decades of effort beginning in the 1990’s a coalition of individuals and organizations have taken the first step in returning the North American Bison to their native lands. In the accompanying lesson plan (found in the Support Materials) students will understand that nowhere is this action more culturally and ecologically significant than on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will explore the significance of the buffalo to the Shoshone people living on the Wind River Reservation.
Students will learn that through traditional concepts of understanding, the Shoshone people, as well as many other Plains tribes, were able to survive using the buffalo.
Students will research the controversial issue surrounding the return of the buffalo to the Wind River Reservation and understand how arguments against returning them almost derailed efforts by the Shoshone tribe.