Decoding Political Cartoons

In Topics in Modern America (TMA), ninth-grade students in History Department Chair John Beloff’s class are exploring the 1948 Presidential election through political cartoons. This historic race—featuring Democratic incumbent Harry Truman, Republican Thomas Dewey, Progressive Henry Wallace, and Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond—offers a fascinating study. Despite being the incumbent, Truman’s victory was highly unlikely: the economy was struggling, and his stances on issues like desegregation and the recognition of Israel were unpopular. “Every single pundit said that he was a dead man walking,” John notes. So, how did he win?

To unravel this question, John assigned students the task of analyzing four political cartoons from the 1948 election, each illustrating different aspects of the campaign: key issues, opposition commentary, the election itself, and its outcome. Students created a Google Slides presentation in which they annotated and dissected each cartoon, explaining what it depicted, its intended message, and the historical context behind it.

The 1948 election underscores the importance of electoral math, providing a unique opportunity to understand the workings of the electoral college and why some states are deemed battlegrounds. “While candidates and issues play a role, the 1948 election was primarily about candidates strategizing how to avoid losing five key states, which would make it impossible to reach the 266 electoral votes needed at that time,” John explains. Using this election as a framework, students also examine more recent elections, such as 2000 and 2016, to see how the electoral college continues to shape outcomes.

Although John conducts a version of this project each year, he tailors it with new cartoons and guiding questions. This year, he asked students to focus closely on the context of each cartoon, examining the specific events or issues that might have influenced the cartoonist’s choices. “It allows the kids to interpret meaningfully,” John says. “Everything in a cartoon matters; there are no throwaways. Figuring out what is important and why is a valuable skill.”