These cartoons focus on rights and protections guaranteed by the
U.S. Constitution. See how you would answer the questions that
go with the cartoons. To access other topics, use the Topics
menu to the right.
Constitutional Rights, Page 3
Cartoon 7
Schoolroom
Adapted from Insights on Law & Society 3.2 (Winter 2003): 9.
Here is a classroom in 1954, when an important social protest movement was brewing but not yet in full swing. Find out more about this movement, and your rights as a student, by completing these activities.
1. Where does this cartoon take place? Describe each student. The students are divided into two groups. Who is in which group? Can you think of any reasons why the cartoonist divided them this way?
2. The teacher is passing out books with different titles. What does Rule of Law mean? Using that definition as a base, what would you say are exceptions to the rule of law? Why might the three students to the left be given a book that tells them about exceptions to the rule of law?
3. In what month and year does this cartoon take place? What famous Supreme Court School Case was decided on May 17 of that year? Who was Thurgood Marshall? How did the efforts of Marshall and his colleagues help to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children?
4. What famous Social Protest Movement began in the mid-1950s? What problems involving diversity did it begin to help solve? What problems involving diversity still challenge us today?
Cartoon 8
Tug of War
Adapted from Insights on Law & Society
3.2 (Winter 2003): 12.
Should legal decisions be reached by competition? That's the question
this cartoonist seems to be asking. See how you would change the
rules of this game by completing the activities below.
1. What is a Tug
of War? Why do you suppose people enjoy participating in tugs
of war?
2. Who is participating in the cartoon tug of war? What real-life
people do these characters represent? (Hint: Visit DNC
and RNC.)
Name a couple adjectives that describe how these people seem to
feel about participating in this tug of war.
3. Why do you suppose the cartoonist has chosen a tug of war to
characterize what these people do? Do you think the characterization
is appropriate? Would you change the way the real-life people
approach their differences? If so, how? If not, why not?
4. For years, the United
Nations has struggled, unsuccessfully, to agree upon a way
to achieve Disarmament
in Iraq—to a great extent, by passing resolutions calling
for it. Review those resolutions. Visit any newspaper or cable
TV Web site to find out more about the war that has resulted from
this struggle. Who are the major antagonists in this war? What
are their differences? Would you characterize the war as the failure
of either side to win the tug of war at the United Nations? If
so, why? If not, how would you characterize the failure of either
side to win?
