Declaring Independence America In Flames

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America In Flames

Political satires often critiqued political leadership and conveyed either pro-British or pro-American sentiments. This particular satire comments upon the plight of America in relation to Great Britain. America is depicted as a woman being engulfed in flames, while British politicians fan the flames.

Lord Bute and Lord Chief Justice Mansfield float in the clouds above America pumping bellows over the fire. Mansfield's bellow, “Massachusetts Bay,” refers to the colony's resistance to the Tea Act. To the right, Lord North, the British Prime Minister, holds the Boston Port Bill. A pot spilling tea has rolled down the steps beneath America.

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