Dirksen Center's Editorial Cartoon Collection

From site:  Editorial cartoons teach students to identify issues, analyze symbols, acknowledge the need for background knowledge, recognize stereotypes and caricatures, think critically, and appreciate the role of irony and humor.

Richard Ostrom of California State University, Chico, writes, “Student presenters report that it is a fun challenge to ‘decipher’ the elements of a cartoon . . . because the process is so intellectually satisfying (like solving a puzzle).”

“In fact, most young people get their news from political cartoons. Every state in the United States has middle and high school students interpret an editorial cartoon as part of state-mandated testing. Teachers who must ‘teach to the test’ include political cartoons in their classes. Students learn their current events through political cartoons and, ironically, most of the students see newspaper editorial cartoons on the Internet rather than on paper."  [Daryl Cagle, "Of Cartoonists and Cockroaches," syndicated colum appearing in the Pekin Daily Times, November 1, 2005]

Among the scores of cartoonists represented in the collection are Herblock, Gib Crockett, Hugo, Bill Mauldin, Gene Basset, Pat Oliphant, Al Capp, Wayne Stayskal, Jim Berry, Guernsey LePelley, Tom Engelhardt, Paul Conrad, and Jim Berryman.