post+war+domestic-political+cartoons

RIL- Herb Block created this cartoon. He was a liberal and did not support the anti-communist and extreme actions he believed the government to be taking. He believed that the anti-communist actions were morally wrong and inexcusable. The newspaper, //Washington Post,// he worked for was a popular newspaper. This cartoon was published October 31, 1947 in the //Washington Post// and at this time the House Un-American Activities Committee was acting against supposed communists. Readers would have first seen this cartoon in the //Washington Post//. One of the larger issues it addressed was the fair treatment of people. The Cold War began in 1947 and it was one of the things that lead to strong anti-communist feelings in the United States. The car with the two men represented the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the people they hurt were to represent the innocent people who had been adversely affected by the committee. This cartoon was made for other liberals as it was written by a liberal and so it catered to their opinions. The target audience would also be liberals as liberals would be the most likely to read a Herblock cartoon, and similarly, that could be one of the reasons this cartoon depicted a liberal point of view. Those who supported the House Committee on Un-American Activities would have paid particular attention to this cartoon as they are depicted within it, and likewise those who have been negatively affected by the committee would have paid it some mind especially since it supported their point of view. Those on the committee would have been offended by the cartoon as they are negatively portrayed but others who did not support them because of poor experience with them or just because they disagreed would have reacted positively as they would agree with the message of the cartoon. This cartoon was produced to criticize the House Committee on Un-American Activities and show that it was morally wrong and doing more harm than good by recklessly hurting innocent people. It was produced at this time because the Cold War had begun and the House Committee on Un-American Activities was recently revived. This cartoon addressed the political need of the termination of the committee, as some liberals believed it should be, and also the social need of treating others fairly. This cartoon argued that the HCUA was recklessly harming innocent people in its attempt to fight communism and that while it did so, it would use the fight against communism as an excuse. This material conveyed that others should be treated fairly. The main point of this cartoon was that the HCUA was wrong. This was a significant cartoon because it depicted the HCUA during the Cold War. The political implications were that the HCUA should not be in place. This cartoon could have convinced others that the HCUA was unfair and wrong. VB - Text to come . SW- This cartoon is called Truman’s Civil Rights Campaign. It was published in the Washington Star on March 14, 1948 by Clifford K. Berryman. This cartoon was produced after President Harry Truman passed an executive order to integrate the army and provided more civil rights. Truman tried to pass an anti-poll and anti-lynching act before but it had not worked. Truman tried to do as much as he could and created the Fair Employment Practices Commission. Then he finally passed his executive order, which no one could override, in order to integrate the army. Truman very much believed in civil rights and helped blacks gain more rights. He was improving their rights in 1948, which was also the year of the next election in which he would be running in. Many thought that passing these civil rights acts would lessen his chances of winning the next election. Many people in the United States disagreed with Truman’s civil rights legislation, which is why they did not want to vote for him. Even though Truman knew that he would probably lose the next election, he did not cage his mind and stood firm on his decisions about civil rights. The cartoon shows the reaction to his executive order and the fact that everyone thought that it would cause him to lose his presidency. This move showed how strong Truman was not to change his mind and in doing so he won the next election. The cartoon was made before the results of the election, so were most people were certain that Truman was going to lose because of this one decision. This cartoon is significant because it shows how strongly the population still dislikes integration. JT - This political cartoon was drawn by Herbert Lawrence Block, who was famous for his political cartoons focused on powerful officials. He was able to inflate the flaws of many Presidents, but found a great source of material when looking at Senator Joseph McCarthy. He was against the House of Un- American Activities Committee and its outrageous claims against many innocent people. This cartoon was published in the //Washington Post//, on May 8th, 1950. The audience can understand this material because of the message that reads “Joe Zich is a Red,” which makes it clear that this cartoon is referring to the McCarthy hearings which were happening at the time. When the audience would encounter this material, it would be in a newspaper, most likely accompanying an article about how unfair the hearings were. All of America was afraid of the overhyped fears that Communists were invading the US at this time, so McCarthy’s campaign to find the “reds” was highly supported by many who viewed him as a hero. Others, like Herbert Block, saw through McCarthy’s act and new that he was preying on people who were not communists (usually) to try and strengthen his name. The supposed proof of the accused communist activities is represented by the wooden fence being carried in with a sloppy message written across it. An angry, ranting man, supposedly McCarthy, is yelling to an audience inside, appearing full of certainty. Ironically, this is mostly how these trials went; questionable evidence and overdramatic lies. The cartoon’s title emphasizes this. Typical American families, especially those under investigation, would appreciate this article as it acts as a comical, yet honest defense so them against McCarthy’s rampage. Those who support McCarthy, however, would consider this article to be ridiculous. This article was produced to try and punch holes in McCarthy’s facade of proof against accused communists. It reminds people that the court systems are supposed to be based on real evidence, not unreliable evidence. This cartoon had an important social message to Americans to reconsider what McCarthy was doing and encourage people to put an end to the McCarthy Hearings which were only feeding the Red Scare hysteria, not helping it. KEO- This cartoon was drawn by Herb Block, also known as Herblock, and it appeared on August 11th, 1954 in the //Washington Post//. Herb Block’s cartoons were drawn from a liberal perspective and his cartoons throughout the 1950s targeted Senator Joseph McCarthy; he coined the term “McCarthyism.” The cartoon was published after Senator McCarthy began his infamous Communist witch hunt. He gained attention after he claimed to have the names of Communists working in the State Department. He sought evidence of Communist activity throughout the country and his accusations against people suspected of being Communists were unwarranted and unsupported by evidence. Although McCarthy’s power was beginning to wane by the time this cartoon was published, the Communist hysteria continued throughout the country. This cartoon references the event in which a branch of the American Legion denounced the Girl Scouts because they thought the “one world” ideas they advocated were “un-American.” Block blames this accusation on McCarthy by showing a man holding up a sign showing a picture of McCarthy with the caption “Our hero.” Block clearly mocks the American Legion for their accusation and demonstrates how ridiculous it was by including the caption, “Stand fast, men-they’re armed with marshmallows,” which emphasized how harmless the Girl Scouts were. He also shows how blown out of proportion the condemnation was by showing a man reading a book called //How to Detect Subversion and Witchcraft//. The cartoon was meant to appeal to any Americans who might have supported Communist accusations such as these and Block attempted to convince these people that their fears were unjustified because the accusations were ridiculous. This cartoon is significant in that it represented one of the most controversial issues in the US after World War II. Also, since it was published in the //Washington Post// which was one of the most widely read and influential newspapers of the time, it had the potential to allay the fears of a large number of people and lessen the Communist hysteria overtaking the country. ADB -  This cartoon was created by Herbert Block, or “Herblock”, published in the //Washington Post// in February 1950. It depicts GOP members Kenneth Wherry, Robert Taft, Styles Bridges, and Republican National Chairman Guy Gabrielson pushing a hesitant Republican elephant to stand upon the tottering platform that was McCarthyism. The same month, Senator Joseph McCarthy had claimed that he held “in his hand” a list of 205 communists working in the State Department. This number would soon after decrease to 57. Though he had been an immensely unproductive senator (a newspaper voted him the most ineffective member of Congress), this event sent him skyrocketing into the media’s, and the nation’s, attention. This cartoon marked the first time the term “McCarthyism” was used, which would describe McCarthy into the future as he continued to make wild and ridiculous accusations of Communists within the United States, from the Secretary of Defense George Marshall to the Army itself. The main idea of this cartoon is that Joe McCarthy had created a dirty, smear platform that would be unwise to stand on, dubbed “McCarthyism”. The four GOP members have clearly discernable faces of malice and/or mischief as they try to bring the “elephant” onto the platform. This only further emphasizes the futility and danger of McCarthyism, as a GOP “elephant’s” could never stand safely or confidently on such as platform. The black paint, pots, and loose boards that create the platform show that McCarthy’s claims was a shoddily created smear campaign that was in danger of crashing from the outset. The caption “You mean I’m supposed to stand on __that__?” only further emphasizes the reluctance of the larger GOP to accept McCarthy’s evidence-less accusations. This cartoon is important because it shows how America repeated its history, only to a greater degree: like after World War I, World War II’s conclusion brought about a huge fear that communists were, or already had, infiltrated the United States. Senator McCarthy was the embodiment of that sentiment when he told of his “list” in 1950. Herblock’s primary audience with this cartoon was most likely those both in the GOP and the Democratic Party, as well as observant, ordinary citizens, who saw through McCarthy’s ridiculous claims, or at least felt some suspicion regarding them. AMB--- This cartoon was drawn by Herb Block, known as Herblock, a liberal cartoonist who was against extreme anti-Communist actions, especially the Committee on Un-American Activities. It was his belief that this committee threatened civil liberties and was a danger to the American public. He published this cartoon in June of 1949. By this time, HUAC had investigated many innocent people and brought them to trial for Communism. This included the Hollywood Ten in 1947, and the Alger Hiss trial in 1949. The committee had sufficiently inspired hysteria among the American people, leading to false accusations of Communism. Audiences would have originally encountered this cartoon in the Washington Post, a large newspaper that had started in 1877 and which was widely read and trusted. This cartoon comments on whether it was the accused Communists or HUAC that were un-American. This cartoon was drawn in the midst of the Cold War, when the world was encouraged to choose sides between the Americans and the Soviets, and in the US, whoever was not on the “side” of the Americans was for the Soviets. This inspired fear and uncertainty amidst a desire to beat the Soviets at everything. The major symbol in this cartoon is the arm of the Statue of Liberty holding the torch. Historically, Lady Liberty’s torch has stood for hope, opportunity, and freedom--everything encompassed by the American Dream. The illustration would have sent a clear message that the hysteria caused by HUAC would threaten to put out the torch of Liberty. This cartoon was created for a fearful audience which was brainwashed by the government and society, which both encouraged extreme Anti-Communism. The illustration was intended to turn that fear upside down by suggesting that perhaps it was not the accused Communists who were un-American, but those who were encouraging the accusations. Because it was published in such a prominent newspaper, the cartoon was likely to have been far-reaching, but the public had already bought into the idea of extreme Anti-Communism, so it most likely did not affect many in a significant way. The cartoon was created to discredit HUAC and prevent people from buying into their ideas of monitoring the nation for activities deemed “un-American.” It was created at this time because the committee had already done much damage to the lives of thousands of people, yet still had the ability to do much worse. Herblock wanted to show that it the widespread panic caused by HUAC would eventually destroy personal liberty. This material is important because it reveals the true harm that could (and would) come as a result of such extreme policies, and that not everyone bought into these ideas. It implies that HUAC was dangerous not only because of what it encouraged, but also because of the number of people who were willing to go along with it. . MRL - ﻿Herbert Block's cartoon, "I Have Here in My Hand...", published in the Washington Post in 1954, depicts Joseph McCarthy holding fraudulent evidence during a courtroom hearing. The cartoon title references when McCarthy said he had a list of 205 communists within the state department during a speech at the Republican Women's Club of Wheeling in 1950. The clearly visible "doctored photo" and "faked letter" are designed to depict McCarthy as a liar. This cartoon signifies what caused McCarthy's ultimate downfall. After McCarthy launched an attack on the Army for allegedly harboring communists, during the course of the televised testimonies McCarthy presented evidence that was discovered to be utterly fraudulent. Combined with his behavior in the courtroom, the falsified evidence caused both the American pubic as well as politicians to end their support for McCarthy, therefore attributing to his downfall. The rise and fall of the senator embodies the chaotic situation of the time. The American people were forced to examine the notion that the hunt for communists is in reality a fruitless investigation that results only in the terrorizing of innocent lives. Though the Red fear was not extinguished after McCarthy's downfall, the American people became more critical and suspicious of politicians who advocated similar principles as McCarthy. The general hardening of the public to the allegations of politicians is described in Ralph Turvell's article __One Nation, Under God__ where he proclaims, "It was sooner, not later, that the American people expressed doubt in anti-communist politicians. The belief of communist infiltration did not subside, but the faulty belief in communist-hunting political heroes had finally acknowledged reality." The gradual yet significant loss of trust in the government by the American people had a significant impact in the coming decades, as well as in the present. For instance, even the widespread disapproval of the Iraqi War within the US can be partially attributed to the loss of trust beginning in the early to mid 1900s. Such a notion is supported by Gary Fitch's article in which he writes, "People nowadays prefer to disapprove of the government first, and then perhaps alter their opinion later. Such was not the case in previous times. Before the painful 30s, the war-stricken 40s, the frantic 50s, and the fearful 60s, Americans preferred to trust in the government, and ask questions later. After these decades, it was always the opposite." The antics of Senator McCarthy marked a significant portion of US history, not just because it was significant at the time, but because it is also signifcant today. AJJ -  This cartoon was drawn by Frank Williams directly after the launch of Sputnik. Frank Williams was a liberal capitalist cartoonist who thought Americans were overly fearful at the communists gaining the first blow in the space race. The Detroit Free Press, considered to be the liberal paper of the Detroit area, likely approved the view that Frank Williams presented. This cartoon was published in 1957 the year that Sputnik was launched. This cartoon was intended to depict the response the United States had after this satellite was launched. People encountered this cartoon in the daily newspaper. The man on the left in the lab coat is intended to be a scientist. The scientist appears somewhat distraught due to the man on the right’s reaction to Sputnik being launched. The man on the right appears to be frantically attempting to push a “panic button” while the scientist holds him back. The man on the right represents both the United States’ politicians and public. The viewers of this cartoon are likely to be entertained by this satire of the reaction to Sputnik. The audience is largely liberal so it is likely that most will empathize with Williams’ portrayal of the government. Conservatives will likely not read or not enjoy the depictions shown in this cartoon. This illustration was meant to satirize the hysteria following Sputnik’s launch and show that it isn’t time to panic, it is time for the United States to put its faith in its scientists and realize that the nation hadn’t lost the Space Race yet. Williams believed that this race must require patience and that a “slow and steady wins the race” mentality was the best for the Untied States and the government should stop panicking remain calm despite the Soviets gaining the first blow. The main point that Williams is making is that Sputnik is only the first part of a long race and the government and the people should not go into panic mode because of this one event. This cartoon is significant because it shows the hysteria that Americans experienced after Sputnik and the fear that they had that communism might possibly be a better form of government than capitalism. This cartoon probably had the effect of reinforcing the views of its readers that everyone must calm down and not panic because there was a long way to go in the Space Race. J.R.C. -

Herbert Lawrence Block, otherwise known as Herblock, created the material above. Herblock was an editorial cartoonist for the "Chicago Daily News" most commonly known for his commentary on national domestic policy from a liberal perspective. The "Chicago Daily News" was a very well known newspaper during the 50's, allowing his material to be widely appreciated by the liberals and conservatives. Coincidentally, this material was produced in 1954 during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. The timing of this material bolstered the overall significance of the cartoon, due to the fact that both the timing and the cartoon were centered on President Eisenhower's political career. Prior to looking into this specific cartoon, one could assume the general meaning by fully understanding the fact that Eisenhower, depicted above, did not contest Senator Joseph McCarthy's aggressive anti-communist campaign. Eisenhower's weapon is clearly a quill or a feather, exemplifying the fact that Eisenhower always held a very restrained perspective on McCarthy's tirade, never actually posing a threat to McCarthy's goal. This material was created for a liberal based audience, barely effecting it's overall content and reliability. Conservative political members may have viewed this cartoon as an offensive portrayal of the President. This material was produced to target the effectiveness of Eisenhower's efforts towards McCarthy's unnecessary anti-communist acts. Clearly, Hobart is trying to convey the idea that he thought Eisenhower's actions toward McCarthy were generally ineffective and pointless. This material is important, mainly due to the fact that it epitomized the liberal perspective on this aspect of Eisenhower's presidency.