With
the end of World War II in 1945, social issues such as poverty, education,
housing, and civil rights returned to the American political arena as
soldiers returned, seeking jobs and homes. Black soldiers sought social
justice and economic equality; women looked to further their growing participation
in the nation's workforce; and families worked harder to educate their
children. For some, the G.I. Bill and personal ambition fueled their American
dream of prosperity and independence. For others, the dream still seemed
beyond reach.
|
Fruits of victory
In his first State of the Union address after winning election
as president in his own right, President Harry Truman proposed the
"Fair Deal," including new programs for civil rights, housing, agricultural
supports, aid to schools and national health care. But a coalition
of Republicans and conservative Southern Democrats lined up to block
it. The American Medical Association attacked his health care proposals
as "socialism."
Fruits of victory,
March 16, 1949
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (22)
LC-USZ62-127332
|
|
|
Room with a view
Despite efforts to clear slums and replace them with low-cost public
housing, inequities continued to exist in America's cities. Herb
Block adds: "The contrasts are particularly noticeable in the
nation's capital, where a well-housed Congress dominates attempts
at self-rule."
Room with a
view, April 22, 1949
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (23)
LC-USZ62-127329
|
|
|
"Think this crop is worth saving?"
While Congress increased funding to buy and store surplus grain
from farmers, it rendered little assistance to house the over abundance
of school children.
"Think
this crop is worth saving?" September 22, 1949
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (26)
LC-USZ62-127204
|
|
|
"What do you figure this one would cost?"
Pressure for campaign finance reform is not new. Herb Block has
been pointing out for five decades how special interests use campaign
donations to gain influence. In 1950 Congress failed to take action
on a proposal by a House committee to set up an inquiry into the
relationship between lobbying and election campaigns. The issue
and the cartoon are fresh today.
"What do you
figure this one would cost?" September 12, 1950
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (29)
LC-USZ62-126904
|
|
|
"Be sure to give mine special attention"
The baby boom generation pushed the limits of available school
resources, contributing to overcrowding, substandard buildings,
and teacher shortages. President Dwight Eisenhower hosted the first
White House Conference on Education shortly after this cartoon appeared
but he hesitated to secure needed funding.
"Be sure
to give mine special attention,"
November 23, 1955
Reproduction from original drawing
Published in the Washington Post (38)
|
|
|
"Tote dat barge! Lif' dat boycott! Ride dat bus!"
Segregated public transportation was still the order of the day
in Southern cities in the mid 1950s. In December 1955, blacks began
boycotting the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama after forty-two-year-old
Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat. The action
was an immediate success, with 90 percent of the African Americans
finding alternative sources of transportation. The boycott continued
into 1956, despite harassment, physical abuse and jailing of blacks,
including the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Finally, on November
13, 1956, the Supreme Court declared segregated seating on buses
unconstitutional, and the boycott was lifted in December 1956. Herb
Block's title refers to lyrics from the Showboat song
Ol' Man River: "Tote dat barge. Lif' dat bale."
"Tote dat barge!
Lif' dat boycott! Ride dat bus!" March 25, 1956
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (39)
LC-USZ62-126901
|
|
|
Poplarville, Mississippi, U. S. A., 1959
Although in the 1950s some progress was made toward attaining civil
rights for African Americans, lynchings continued until the late
1960s. On April 25, 1959, a group abducted Charles Parker from prison
in Poplarville, Mississippi where he awaited trial on charges of
raping a white woman. On May 4, the FBI found his body in the Pearl
River near Bogalusha, Louisiana, executed with two bullets. The
Governor of Mississippi said he would bring the matter before a
grand jury at its next regular session months later.
Poplarville,
Mississippi, U. S. A., 1959,
April 28, 1959
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (43)
LC-USZ62-126905
|
|
|
Split-level living
Following World War II, construction of single-family housing exploded
in suburbia, the "split-level" house being one of the more popular
models. By 1960, the gross national product, the consumer price
index, and personal income had reached all-time highs. At the same
time, critics said President Dwight Eisenhower had failed to provide
more spending needed for education, for economic and social programs,
especially for those Americans left out of the general prosperity.
Split-level
living, March 9, 1960
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (45)
LC-USZ62-127080
|
|
|
"Pray keep moving, brother"
As the civil rights movement heated up in the 1960s, black Americans
cultivated the technique of peaceful protest, using it in dignified
and disciplined demonstrations against segregation at lunch counters
and other places. Here Herb Block focuses on the ultimate irony
of segregation in places of worship preaching the brotherhood of
man.
"Pray keep
moving, brother," August 14, 1960
Ink, graphite, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing on layered
paper
Published in the Washington Post (46)
LC-USZ62-127075
|
|
|