Off-Campus Access

The Fifties: Public Opinion & Cartoons This page lists some additional specialized resources for finding public opinion polls, letters to the editor and political cartoons.

Polls

• The Gallup poll , 1935-1971
  Suzzallo Reference - HN90.P8 G3
• The Gallup poll cumulative index: public opinion, 1935-1997
  Suzzallo Reference - HN90.P8 G29 1999
• Polls and Surveys
  Roper Center polls available on LexisNexis under "Reference" on the left-side toolbar.

Letters to the Editor

Generally the only way to letters is to browse through magazines and newspapers. One tactic to use is to find when articles on your topic were written and browse the next couple of issues of the magazine or newspaper to see if letters were written in reaction to the article. This is a selective list of 20th century magazines that generally include some letters. Letters can also be found in the Historic New York Times.

• Life, 1936-1972
          Suzzallo Periodicals - 051 LF
• Look, 1937-1959
           Microform & Newspapers - A4982
• Newsweek, 1933-
          Suzzallo Periodicals - 051 NW
• Time, 1923-
          Suzzallo Periodicals - 051 TI

Political Cartoons

Finding political cartoons takes a bit of work. Try the following strategies:

1. Use the Advanced search option in the Historic New York Times. Change the first box to Document Type and write in "editorial cartoon", type in your topic keyword in the second box and limit the date from 1950-1959.
2. In Reader's Guide Retrospective type in "caricatures and cartoons" in the first box and then type in your topic keyword in the second box and limit your dates ftom 1950-1959. This will find some cartoons published in magazines.
3. Search the UW Libraries Catalog for compilations of cartoons by well-known cartoonists of the time such as Herbert Block or Bill Mauldin.
4. The following collections may also include cartoons or give you to more leads in finding cartoons:
   • Baldy Editorial Cartoons 1946-1982
     Collection of digitzed cartoons from Atlanta Journal Constition cartoonist Clifford H. Baldowski.
   • Drawing the Iron Curtain : Cold War cartoons, 1946-1960
             Gov Pubs LC 25.2:C 94
   • Comic art of the United States through 2000, animation and cartoons: an international bibliography
             Suzzallo Stacks NC1420 .L46 2005
   • Herblock's History
     Exhibit of Herblock's cartoons at the Library of Congress.
   • Truman in cartoon and caricature
             Suzzallo Stacks E814 .G52 1984

Image: 1948 Time cover with George Gallup.