Before he was famous, Dr. Seuss used his cartoon skills to skewer “America First” fascists.
His often-overlooked early work as a political cartoonist, which he did
well before the world was introduced to the Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs
and Ham, is especially resonant in today’s increasingly volatile
political climate.
He first dipped his pen into politics as an Army captain, writing propaganda cartoons (like the hilarious Private SNAFU)
and making documentary films. But as nationalist fascism threatened to
conquer Europe, America was wrestling with hatred, bigotry, and
isolationism at home. To Doctor Seuss, these ideologies were undermining
the war effort against the Axis powers. He fought back with the only
weapon in his arsenal, wielding his pen as a cartoonist for the
left-leaning New York City daily newspaper PM, where he drew more than 400 cartoons lampooning the dictators in Europe as well as intolerant politics at home.
His record wasn’t spotless, to be sure. Early
in his career he drew racist advertisements, and during the war he
repeatedly caricatured Japanese people with tired racist tropes, fanning the flames that would lead to internment. He came to regret his actions later in life according to Ron Lamothe, the filmmaker behind The Political Dr. Seuss, and he wrote his famous book Horton Hears a Who as a parable for the post-war occupation of Japan, dedicating it to a Japanese friend.