Cartoon Essay
Jessica Plat
History 3760
U.S. History, 1900-1945 (American Popular Culture)
Utah State University
Salt Lake City Campus
August 9, 2014
The Cartoon Essay
A-er December 7th 1941, Americans were submerged in a popular culture phenomenon that
would shape the way they viewed the enemy. The war in Europe had been raging on and American’s
were content with their neutrality. However, a-er the sneak atack on Pearl Harbor, the United States
became a powerhouse in the fight for victory over both Japan and the war in Europe. Popular culture
began to shape the mind of Americans through comic books and cartoons which began to portray the
axis leaders as evil villains that wanted to destroy the American way of life. The Japanese and German-
Nazi nation were the majority of topics for this animated media and focused on rallying American’s to
become more patrio9c and involved in the war e;ort.
In the months a-er the atack on Pearl Harbor, American’s were preparing for a new chapter in
history. World War II had become a real part of the American life. Neutrality was a thing of the past and
