They'll Push it Through Without Help from Anybody
1/31/1939
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This cartoon shows Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Japan, and Franco (Spain) pushing a ball labeled “American Defense Program” into Congress. The image was drawn as Congress debated a bill to set the level of defense spending at a time when dictatorships were rising and military conflicts were spreading in Europe and Asia.
President Franklin Roosevelt called for preparedness, but he faced strong opposition from isolationists and public opinion opposing another war. On the day this image was published, Roosevelt held a closed-door meeting with the Senate Military Affairs Committee where he promoted increased defense programs and exporting warplanes to France. Isolationists reacted by raising fears that sending arms to France would lead to U.S. involvement in another world war. The cartoon suggests that the emerging conflicts would persuade Congress to support Roosevelt’s plan to prepare America and arm overseas allies.
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.
President Franklin Roosevelt called for preparedness, but he faced strong opposition from isolationists and public opinion opposing another war. On the day this image was published, Roosevelt held a closed-door meeting with the Senate Military Affairs Committee where he promoted increased defense programs and exporting warplanes to France. Isolationists reacted by raising fears that sending arms to France would lead to U.S. involvement in another world war. The cartoon suggests that the emerging conflicts would persuade Congress to support Roosevelt’s plan to prepare America and arm overseas allies.
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: 6012189
Full Citation: Cartoon Y-033; They'll Push it Through Without Help from Anybody; 1/31/1939; Berryman Political Cartoon Collection, 1896-1949; Records of the U.S. Senate , Record Group 46 ; National Archives Building, Washington DC, 20408. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/theyll-push-through, April 25, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.