Presented to you by:

Quinton Campbell

They are humorous visual representations of controversial current events.

Generally about hot topics of the time, usually being political.

They are done in good humor to let readers understand the issues of politics, and society better.

They use caricatures as well as strait forward visual images, and a variety of symbols to do so.

Political cartoons are frequently found on the editorial pages of various newspapers as well as magazines.

They appear from time to time in the comics section of a newspaper/periodical, as well.

The Cold War took place between the years 1946 – 1991.

The two rivaling countries were The U.S.S.R. (Russia), and The United States of America.

The primary disputes they had were the space race, the arms race, and democracy vs. communism.

Many people do not understand how to understand political cartoons.

To more easily interpret these cartoons, we’re going to learn step-by-step how to do so.

Artists know best

Let your mind find the part that stands out

Generally being an exaggeration or distortion meant to be comical

Figure out what the interaction with the primary focus is

Look around the main object or person for allusions

An allusion is indirect indication to a past or current event that’s not completely clear

Who is the population?

What are their views?

What is going on in the world?

In the news?

Find symbols that commonly represent a group of people.

Ex. donkeys for Democrats and elephants for Republicans

Look for words and pictorial symbols

Generally located in the background

Meant to convey minor themes

In February 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy captured headlines by his claims that he held in his hand, a list of names of some 205 communists in the State Department which he did not reveal. Many members of Congress, influenced by his success, began to support his heavy-handed and abusive tactics for political purposes. Here conservative Republican senators, Kenneth S. Wherry, Robert A. Taft, and Styles Bridges and Republican National Chairman Guy Gabrielson push a reluctant GOP elephant to mount the unsavory platform. This was the first use of the word "McCarthyism."

Throughout his political career, Dwight Eisenhower refused to take a public stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's aggressive anti-communist campaign. Eisenhower even struck from a 1952 campaign speech in Wisconsin a defense of his mentor, George C. Marshall, a McCarthy target. Half a dozen Republican senators, including Ralph Flanders, joined Margaret Chase Smith in a "declaration of conscience" against McCarthy. Eisenhower, however, continued to speak of "justice and fair play" in fighting communism, and it was a long time before they prevailed.

""Fire!" (Herblock's History: Political Cartoons from the Crash to the Millennium, Library of Congress Exhibition)." Library of Congress Home. Web. 15 June 2011. <http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/fire.html>.

"Part I: A Brief History of Political Cartoons." American Studies @ The University of Virginia. Web. 15 June 2011. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/puck/part1.html>.

"Index." Xenon.truman.edu. Web. 15 June 2011. <http://www2.truman.edu/parker/research/cartoons.html>.