Progressive Republicans for Neutrality
9/7/1939
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This cartoon shows three prominent isolationist senators staring blindly at a wall labeled “neutrality,” while embattled Europe is shown in the distance, engulfed in a cloud of smoke. The figures in the cartoon are William Borah of Idaho, Gerald Nye of North Dakota, and Hiram Johnson of California.
They were all Progressive Republican Senators who shared a long history of leading efforts to keep the United States out of international alliances and wars. Borah had opposed the Treaty of Versailles and was against America’s joining the League of Nations. Nye had chaired an investigative committee harshly critical of U.S. entry into the World War I. Johnson sponsored the Neutrality Acts in Congress and opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proposal to sell planes and arms to France. World War I was fresh in the public memory, and isolationists still resented America’s involvement. This cartoon mocks the short-sightedness of isolationism.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
This cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
They were all Progressive Republican Senators who shared a long history of leading efforts to keep the United States out of international alliances and wars. Borah had opposed the Treaty of Versailles and was against America’s joining the League of Nations. Nye had chaired an investigative committee harshly critical of U.S. entry into the World War I. Johnson sponsored the Neutrality Acts in Congress and opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proposal to sell planes and arms to France. World War I was fresh in the public memory, and isolationists still resented America’s involvement. This cartoon mocks the short-sightedness of isolationism.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC's best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
This cartoon is featured in America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940, a free PDF book from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate .
National Archives Identifier: 6012202
Full Citation: Cartoon Y-034; Untitled; 9/7/1939; Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896-1949; Records of the U.S. Senate , Record Group 46 ; National Archives Building, Washington DC, 20408. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/progressive-republicans-neutrality, March 28, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.