North Carolina Era 10: Postwar (1945-1975): Post-War Political Cartoons Lesson Plan

North Carolina Era 10: Postwar (1945-1975): Post-War Political Cartoons Lesson Plan

Pauline Johnson, Roman Blevins

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NORTH CAROLINA CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT:
8.H.1, 8.H.2, 8.E.1, 8.C&G.1,

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
• Students will understand social and political issues prevalent in the United States in the immediate aftermath of WWII.
• Students will work cooperatively.
• Students will engage in critical thinking.
• LEARNING TARGET: “I can analyze political cartoons to discern the political positions of the illustrator and people of the time period.”

Copies of political cartoons from NC newspapers circa 1949.

15 minutes

PROCEDURE
1. Ask students “After the war, what do you think some of the most important issues for Americans would have been?” and “do you think all Americans were happy with policies enacted during the Roosevelt administration?”
2. Divide students into groups (no more than four).
3. Students will work together in groups to examine political cartoons taken from Western NC newspapers from 1949.
4. Students should consider what the illustrator is trying to convene, whether or not they supported FDR policies, and if the political cartoons can still apply to contemporary politics.
5. Class should reconvene together to discuss their hypotheses and share what they think the message of the political cartoons were, whether they could be representative of the region of Western North Carolina, and whether or not they still apply to contemporary politics.
6. Review the dissention toward Democratic policies during the post-war era and the importance of media in the political process.

ASSESSMENT
• Informal assessment based upon group and class discussion.

EXTENSION
• Students may search for a contemporary political cartoon on a contemporary issue to share with the class.