What was the political motive of the naval fleet's journeys? China had to find work for peasants; therefore, they sent them to sea.
The Chinese hoped to discover a route to the New World.
China wanted to control the region of the Indian Ocean by making rival kingdoms its subjects.
The Chinese hoped to spread Buddism throughout the world.

As always has happened in the history of humanity, the rich people have so many advantages over the poor people.

The "Carpetbagger" cartoon is a humorous by at the same time serious reflection of American society at that time of war, but with heavy implications through history.

After the civil war, the carpetbagger could have been any person from the Noth trying to recruit people from the South, taking advantage of the precarious situation in the southern states.

Of course, people who got drafted had limited or non-education in his background and had problems in his families due to -among other things- lack of money to make a living.

The cartoon is a close portray of what has been happening until our days when people who have money try to take advantages or avoid things that other poor people have to do or it is forced to do.