Tags
Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Pierce, George Rogers Clark, Lloyd Ostendorf, Lyndon B. Johnson, Millard Fillmore, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Rutherford Hayes, Zachary Taylor
George Rogers Clark As Brigadier General 1781
Lincoln Portrait
The Long Nine In 1837
The Courthouse Where Lincoln Practiced Law
Lincoln At The Postville Courthouse
Lincoln At The Dement Mill Trial
Abraham Lincoln Christening The Town Of Lincoln
Nancy Hanks Lincoln
President Zachary Taylor
President Millard Fillmore
President Franklin Pierce
President Rutherford Hayes
The Great Society
Nancy Hawks Lincoln And Her Son
Young Abe Lincoln Studying
Young Abe Lincoln Splitting Rails
Young Lincoln Setting Up Surveying Instruments
Young Lincoln Sorting Through Letters
Lincoln The Letter Writer
Abraham Lincoln
AMERICAN GALLERY - 20th Century 
The Long Nine In 1837: “In an era when the average man stood 5 foot 8, Honest Abe towered over most fellows at 6 foot 4. In the state General Assembly during the 1830s, Lincoln was one of nine politicians from the Springfield area who were each at least 6 feet tall. They became known as the Long Nine . . . in 1837, the nine men gathered to celebrate their greatest victory: passage of a bill moving the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield . . . Lincoln and his fellow Whigs were greatly outnumbered in Vandalia, so their efforts to move the capital met with seemingly insurmountable opposition.”
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Did Ostendorf draw regular political cartoons? Do you know where the “root, hog, or die” cartoon was published?
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Ostendorf was mainly a historian of President Lincoln. He dedicated his life collecting and drawing pictures of Lincoln. About the Great Society cartoon, I only know that it was designed in 1965.
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According to Wiki “Root, hog, or die” is a common American catch-phrase dating from well before 1834. Coming from the early colonial practice of turning pigs loose in the woods to fend [root] for themselves, the term is an idiomatic expression for self-reliance.
Lyndon Johnson’s most significant legacy as president were the social programs that he sponsored, collectively called “The Great Society.” Again, from Wiki, “Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. New major spending programs that addressed education, medical care, urban problems, and transportation were launched during this period.”
So the cartoon is depicting Johnson turning away from the path of “Root, hog, or die” and toward “Government Spending” to help alleviate the suffering of poor people rather than just telling them to fend for themselves. What exactly this has to do with Abraham Lincoln, I am not sure. Perhaps it’s referring to him as a great president; perhaps to his commitment to a strong federal government.
PLEASE – No political commentary! I am only attempting to answer a question. This is not a proper forum for that kind of debate.
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Heh, “I am only attempting to answer a question” which I just realized I did not do; that is, answer Ed’s question. According to his obituary, Ostendorf worked as a commercial artist for the Journal Herald in Dayton, Ohio but that was long before LBJ’s presidency. By that time, he was well enough established to be self-employed, possibly in partnership with cartoonist Milton Caniff, and whatever political cartooning he was doing then might well have been syndicated, appearing in quite a few publications.
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http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-11-04/news/0011040231_1_abraham-lincoln-association-lloyd-ostendorf-mr-ostendorf
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Bruce, as you rightly say, this is not a political forum. Nevertheless, we can objectively (try to) review a painting and the first detail that strikes the eye is President Lincoln’s puzzled look (to put it mildly) as he watches the path followed by President Johnson. This is what I see in this cartoon.
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Maybe Honest Abe, Northern Whig/Republican from the loyal state of Illinois, is surprised at the inspired leadership being shown by a Southern Democrat from the rebellious state of Texas. Speaking strictly apolitically, of course.
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