School Desegregation – Object #5

Making a Tough Job Tougher

Download political cartoon

<p>Two men are tugging at the leg of a man holding a pole and walking on a balance beam. A white man represents “Unyielding Segregationists” and a black man represents the NAACP. They are both holding on to the main characters leg. There are two additional people, one on each end of the pole, that are being “balanced” by the main character in the photo. Each end represents a different idea. The boy represents the public, and the girl represents education. The words “court orders” are written on the balance beam.</p>

Political cartoon by Jon Kennedy, ca. 1958, depicting attempted compromise in the Little Rock School Crisis.

Questions:

What is happening in the cartoon?

What groups are depicted, and how might they be related?

What is occurring during this time frame?

Why might the main character be depicted on a balance beam?

Does the cartoon suggest that one of the entities is more powerful?

Does race seem to play an important part in the picture? Why?

What public policy implications may be suggested by the cartoon?

Citations

Jon Kennedy Cartoon Collection, (UALR.MS.0023), UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture.