Resources from the Activity
Please note: Resource links will open in a separate window.
- “With an Even Hand” Brown v. Board at Fifty (Library of Congress online exhibition) The cartoons used in this activity, as well as background information about each cartoon, are featured in the “Aftermath” section of this online exhibition.
- What is done in our classrooms today will be reflected in the successes or failures of civilization tomorrow. Bill Mauldin (Cartoon published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 11, 1958)
- Inch by inch. Bill Maudlin (Cartoon published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 1, 1960)
- I’m eight. I was born on the day of the Supreme Court decision. Herb Block (Cartoon published in the Washington Post. May 17, 1962)
- Dark Laughter. Now I aint so sure I wanna get educated. Oliver Harrington (Cartoon published in the Pittsburgh Courier. September 21, 1963)
- One nation…indivisible. Herb Block (Cartoon published in the Washington Post. February 22, 1977)
More Library of Congress Resources
- “Afflicting the Comfortable” Cartoonist Paul Conrad Puts Words Behind the Pictures. (Library of Congress Information Bulletin article)
- American Cartoon Prints Link to more than 500 political prints made in America during the 18th and 19th centuries. Search the entire collection by subject or click on the terms “political cartoons” or “caricatures.”
- American Memory Collections Search the collections using the term – “cartoon” – for a wide variety of examples of cartoon art.
- Bill Mauldin: Beyond Willie and Joe This online presentation celebrates Mauldin’s life and features a selection of original cartoons spanning his career as a cartoonist.
- Caroline and Erwin Swan Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon – Exhibitions and Online Presentations This site links to exhibitions based on the Library’s cartoon and caricature collections.
- The Cartoon Cartoonist Herb Block writes about the political cartoon as a communication method.
- Cartoon-related Research at the Library This essay offers tips for doing cartoon research at the Library of Congress.
- Comic Book Art/Political Cartoons View cartoons from the September 11 Witness and Response exhibition.
- Humor’s Edge: Cartoons By Ann Telnaes View the online exhibition of this Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist.
- Teachers Page: Woman’s Sphere Cartoon This suffrage cartoon is featured in the American Memory Timeline.
Resources Outside the Library of Congress
- Cartoon Commentary This lesson from the PBS Art in the 21st Century Lesson Library focuses on the history and analysis of political cartoons.
- Cartoons for the Classroom An extensive set of cartoon resources from the American Association of Editorial Cartoons.
- Creating a Jim Crow Political Cartoon Classroom Museum In this activity, students examine and create Jim Crow-related cartoons to help them understand the power of political satire in shaping popular opinion.
- Dr. Seuss Went to War: A Catalog of Political Cartoons by Dr. Seuss For two years, 1941-1943, Theodor Geisel was the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM and drew more than 400 editorial cartoons.
- History Matters: Scholars in Action Analyze a Thomas Nast Cartoon with George Mason history professor Michael O’Malley.
- Lampooning Injustice: Paul Conrad’s Perspective on Civil Rights (PDF) This lesson explores the civil rights movement through an analysis of cartoons from the Los Angeles Times.
- Political Cartoon Analysis: Brown v. Board of Education This section of the Brown v. Board Landmark Case lesson focuses on political cartoons.
- Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912 This National Archives lesson plan focuses on cartoon analysis.
- Truman Library and Museum Cartoons and Teaching Activities Cartoons and lesson plans from the Truman Library.
