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Herblock Looks at 1967: Fifty Years Ago in Editorial Cartoons
In 1967, during the third year of President Lyndon B. Johnson's (1908–1973) administration, Herblock drew some of his most powerful cartoons on issues about which he cared deeply. He continued to voice his strong concerns about environmental conditions and gun control legislation. Alarmed by the government's secret actions against its citizens, Herblock exposed corruption. He advocated for less bombing in Vietnam, and more accountability on the part of the military. Not only focused on domestic policy, Herblock cautioned against revenge from international trading partners for changes in tariffs.
A cause that greatly disturbed him was racial inequality and the government's lack of progress in dealing with conditions that affected the urban poor. During the summer of 1967, riots erupted in large and small cities as slum dwellers chafed at the lack of economic opportunity, inadequate living conditions, and police brutality. In spite of Johnson's lauded War on Poverty, Herblock decried that the program had been underfunded and was infuriated by the unwillingness of Congress to make aid to the poor a top priority. |