How do you analyze a political cartoon?

I already knew that in political cartoons the artists tend to exaggerate features on a character, which could make the person easier to distinguish and recognize, while at the same time making fun of them. I also knew the cartoons tend to have some kind of irony in them as the main theme and also use tiny things to represent a much larger issue or idea going on. What i learned is that the cartoons normally have some kind of analogy which compares 2 unlike things. Now going forward i will try to use all of those methods on figuring out what a political cartoon represents. My guide will be the one posted on the library of congress.

This image is made to represent spain sinking the Maine after signing a treaty with the U.S. the knife represents Spain stabbing america in the back, while in reality there was no evidence that Spain sunk the Maine.

This image is suppose to represent president mckinley holding back america from the war on cuba. Meaning the illustrator wants america to be involved greatly and is pressuring mckinley to get involved before cuba is "dead" as represented by the vulture.

This image is made to show that cuba is dying with symbols such as the dead child and vulture in the background. The image seems to be pressuring the United States to get involved in the cuban conflict before its too late. 

This image is made to show how america is letting all the capitalist into the phillipines with their open door policy. The picture seems to illustrate the people entering as wealthy and greedy, maybe stating that the illustrator is opposed to others entering the phillipines. 

This image is made to represent how the illustrator thinks that cuba, hawaii, and the phillipines are going to become a state. The pictures seem to make the people seem like the stereotypes of those places by depicting them as less civilized than americans. maybe trying to say that they need to be taken over.