The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing.

This powerful political cartoon by Thomas Nast, one of the most influential American illustrators of the 19th century, was published during the turbulent post-Civil War Reconstruction era. The title continues: "They propose to renew the fight, but not with gun and sabre. They expect to regain, as Democrats, through elections, the power they lost as rebels through war." – H. Greeley (The Prophet). The quote, attributed to Horace Greeley, a founder of the Republican Party and editor of the New York Tribune, sets the tone for the cartoon’s pointed commentary on Southern Democrats' efforts to reassert political power through electoral means after their military defeat.

In the illustration, Nast depicts a literal wolf in sheep’s clothing—an age-old metaphor for hidden danger—symbolizing the Confederate cause disguised beneath a more palatable political identity. Cloaked in the garments of democracy, the figure masks its true intentions: a return to white supremacist rule and the undoing of the Union’s wartime gains. Nast’s rendering is rich in symbolism and unapologetically critical, characterizing postwar Democratic efforts as a veiled continuation of the rebellion by other means.

As with many of Nast’s works, the cartoon combines biting satire with vivid imagery to expose what he saw as the hypocrisy and threat posed by former Confederates reclaiming influence during Reconstruction. It reflects his deep commitment to civil rights and his alarm at the North’s waning resolve to uphold them in the face of political compromise.