Exam (elaborations) HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT31907

A Visual History, 1940–1963 : Political Cartoons by Clifford Berryman and Jim Berryman presents 70 political cartoons that invite students to explore American history from the early years of World War II to the civil rights movement. These images, by father-and-son cartoonists Clifford Berryman and Jim Berryman, highlight many significant topics, including WWII and its impact, the Cold War, the space race, the nuclear arms race, and the struggle for school desegregation. This eBook presents the artists’ perspectives on the events, people, and institutions that shaped this tumultuous era of American history. Clifford Berryman had a remarkably long and productive career. From 1896 to 1949, his cartoons were featured on the front pages of leading Washington, D.C., daily newspapers – first the Washington Post and then the Evening Star. His son, Jim, began drawing cartoons for the sports page of the Evening Star in 1939. He transitioned to the editorial page and then took over as the paper’s chief cartoonist after his father died. The Evening Star featured Jim’s cartoons almost daily until his retirement in 1964. The Berrymans are remembered as two of America’s greatest political cartoonists, artists whose thought-provoking illustrations spoke to a broad public over many decades. This eBook’s selection of cartoons promises to engage today’s visually-oriented students and expand their understanding of history while developing their ability to investigate images. Because each cartoon was published as events were unfolding, each is a primary source that invites students to experience the kind of detective work historians do. At first glance, some of the Berryman cartoons might seem straightforward, but take a long second look: details in the drawings invite in-depth analysis and discussion. By learning to decode the cartoons, students will develop their visual literacy and hone the critical thinking skills crucial to academic success and participation in civic life. INTRODUCTION 1 After World War I, Americans hoped they would never again see such large-scale war. They differed, however, on how to ensure lasting peace. Some Americans embraced the idea of an international dispute-resolution body (like the League of Nations, proposed by President Woodrow Wilson). But other Americans thought it best to avoid involvement with foreign countries, and the U.S. never joined the League. In the 1930s, the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler in economically and politically troubled Germany gradually drew the world into a war even more devastating and widespread than World War I. At first, the U.S tried to stay out of the conflict, but the continuing territorial expansion of Nazi Germany and the other Axis Powers, plus the desperate need of the Allied Powers fighting against them, made U.S. involvement increasingly necessary. When imperialist Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. joined the Allies in what had become a war of two fronts: one in Europe and one in the Pacific. By its end in 1945, World War II had cost over a hundred million lives. In addition to soldiers, many civilian lives were lost, including six million Jews killed in the Holocaust and hundreds of thousands of Japanese killed by U.S. atomic bombs. In the wake of this deadliest war of all time, Americans increasingly favored international cooperation. The Berryman cartoons reflect this devastating chapter of history.