Before Dr. Seuss was famous, he drew racist political cartoons during the 1920s through the 1940s. Was Dr. Seuss himself a racist, or did he just draw these cartoon for a paycheck? He was a racist.
Geisel himself was vocally anti-Japanese during the war and had no trouble with rounding up an entire population of U.S. citizens and putting them in camps.
But right now, when the Japs are planting their hatchets in our skulls, it seems like a hell of a time for us to smile and warble: “Brothers!” It is a rather flabby battle cry. If we want to win, we’ve got to kill Japs, whether it depresses John Haynes Holmes or not. We can get palsy-walsy afterward with those that are left.
Geisel was hardly alone in such beliefs but it’s still disconcerting to see ugly cartoons like these drawn in the same hand that did The Cat in the Hat. from Open Culture
Rather than in World War II where the Germans were seen as innocent, but led by an evil ruler, Hitler, the Japanese were all equally seen as evil, from the common citizen to the emperor. The distinguishing characteristics were also seen in Japanese-Americans, which caused the hatred and racism to extend from the Japanese to the Japanese-Americans. Attitudes such as these that classified all Japanese as the enemy allowed internment camps to be used and accepted by Americans, although just recently the American people had learned of the inhumane concentration camp the Nazi regime had used. from Dartmouth.edu
His racist views were not limited to Asian Americans however. In his illustration, Dr. Seuss draws African Americans as apes in blackface. This drawing went to auction recently, where no one bought it.
This panel, a hand-drawn, hand-painted illustration by Dr. Seuss that dates back to 1929, features individuals in blackface as objects for sale. It’s titled: “Cross-Section of The World’s Most Prosperous Department Store.”
For those unfamiliar with Dr. Seuss’ [white] supremacist tendencies, we regret to inform you of his heavily documented penchants. Beyond this image, the author and illustrator drew anti-Japanese cartoons during World War II, and was wont to express his prejudiced views vocally. from The Huffington Post
I personally don’t think that Dr. Seuss should be representing NEA (National Education Association) Read Across America program. Dr. Seuss’ heritage should be recognized in its entirety, and that includes his racist past. It’s amazing how this remains unknown to the general public. I only recently came across it when researching books for Banned Book Week but I have to say that I can’t look at Dr. Seuss in a favorable light anymore.
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This is terrible, Mia!!! What should I do with my Dr. Seuss library? I own every single one of his books! 🙁
Hi Erika,
I own at least three dozen books too. Honestly, they are great books. I’d keep them. I’m keeping my collection. What I am doing though is not promoting posts about Dr. Seuss on social media (which I’d normally do). So, bloggers if you wrote a post on Dr. Seuss, it’s nothing personal. Your blog is great but I just am not sharing on my social media.
Keep them. Just because he’s racist doesn’t mean he’s a bad author
Keep them. They are collector’s items and great lessons on the change of the tolerance of racism through history. Where once upon a time “lawn jockeys” were as familiar as flamingoes, this is a lesson in continuing growth of racial acceptance, growth, and inclusion. As a child I never took any of these images as racist because well I was a child and I didn’t understand. I do agree with much of the racist argument, your books are now (since you have them) a great starter for a conversation about why it’s racist and why it upsets people. I still don’t quite get why images of what I see as a source of cultural pride (not the subservient, servile, sad imagery) though much is clearly racist I still don’t understand the problem with eskimo fish. I do believe Suess was a product of his time we don’t have to be a product of the 1920’s plus or minus ~one old lady, still learning
‘Eskimo’ itself is a slur. It means “blubber eater” and was used so ubiquitiously that people think that’s the name of the tribe to this name. It was a disgusting insult and their real name is ‘Inuit.’
He evolved. He later wrote books that were clearly designed to decray racism. Only eight of 48 books are being taken out of circulation.
Read them! The best way to change stereotypes is to look at wat has been said in the past and discuss how things have changed from then till now. Canceling out things done in the past does not change what was done it just makes you uninformed as to how things HAVE changed from then till now. As many have said you can learn from history or repeat it!
Perhaps…
It’s not so much Dr Seuss’s bigoted treatment as it is his satirical treatment of bigots..
Just saying … Looking on the good side of life!
Or did he agree with his own satire?
This breaks my heart! Especially since his wife/estate fought to keep the film version of Horton Hears a Who from becoming pro-life propaganda. I even share a birthday with Dr. Seuss! I’m scared to see what comes next. What’s hiding in Mr. Rogers closet? 🙁
Hi Dee,
It was a shocker to learn about Dr. Seuss for me too! I’m sure Mr. Rogers is the same sweet guy that we all know and trust. The Dr. Seuss info is out there but it wasn’t widely known. If you google it though, it comes right up. So it’s not he was hiding a secret; it just was that people didn’t really want to know I guess.
I only just learned about this recently after my daughter did a research project on internment camps during WWII–so horrible. I’ll never look at his work the same way again–how can we??
Same!!
Mia,
That’s a really good point and a good strategy going forward. I will not be posting about Seuss anymore – and not including his books in photos on social media, etc. There are just too many amazing children’s books out there to promote and honor. We need to promote those books that empower all kids – and that we can be proud of. Speaking of – did I tell you that I JUST published my own children’s book? Haha! I wanted to promote positive, diverse stories – so I started my own mystery detective series (ages 8-12) and it focuses on positive sibling relationships as the detectives travel the world. I’ve got a whole series planned (three books written so far). I figure if you can’t find the books you want to read to your kids, then you should write them! LOL 🙂 Here is the first book – I intentionally made the children in the book multicultural – so many different races of kids can identify with their story… not that I’m promoting my book here- just thought you’d be proud of me! Lol hahaha. It’s been really fun to get that creative side of myself going. It’s called The Mardi Gras Mystery – (The LOL Detective Club Book 1) by E.M. Finn and it’s available on Amazon… 🙂
Wow Erika! Congrats! I’ll add it to my diversity mystery list!!!
OMG?!!!! Really?!!! Thank you! You’re SO awesome!!!!!
Yes!! Of course!! 🙂
Hi Erika,
I can’t find your book on Amazon. Is there a link to your book somewhere that you can send me? Thanks!!
Aren’t there any of his books that can live on?
Wow. Mia, this is so important. SO important. I am definitely sharing this everywhere possible because I also feel I can’t support someone so clearly racist and negative. It goes against everything we are striving for right now. This is heartbreaking, but needs to be shared. Thank you for being brave and taking a stand. xoxo
Hi Danielle,
Thanks so much for your support! It means a lot to me. I think people will be hard to convince since Dr. Seuss is such a KidLit icon but I don’t think he should be the face of Read Across America. It sends the wrong message.
I think I’m the only person in America that didn’t care for Dr.Seuss to begin with, but this is just disgusting. I realize it was “a different time” back then, but there’s no excuse for it. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Alicia,
You can count me in on your side! I’m no longer a Dr. Seuss fan. He played a role in my mother’s forced internment during WWII for being Japanese American. She was born in San Francisco and her brother was a decorated member of the 442nd. I think Dr. Seuss should be outed for the racist that he was and the role he played in forcing Japanese Americans into concentration camps.
Thanks so much for writing about this! I never promoted his books on my site anyway as he hasn’t written any multicultural ones (now we know why). And I totally agree, with this past he shouldn’t be representing the Read Across America program.
Hi Svenja,
I love your blog and book lists! You are amazingly thorough!! I was shocked to learn about Dr. Seuss recently too though the articles have been out for years. I’m not sure if the people who made the decision from Read Across America knew about his racist beliefs. It’s not widely known so I’d understand if they didn’t know. But I’m hoping that next year, there will be a new mascot!
Whoa. I never knew this. What I think really shocks me (besides the racist side of him) is that the Japanese in his cartoons look a lot like his book characters. 🙁
Hi Erik,
I know, RIGHT?! His illustration style is so recognizable! And now his “oriental” characters in If I Ran the Zoo look a lot less appealing to me!
Wow. This is really eye opening. Thank you for sharing this, Mia.
Hi Erica,
It’s not well known but I’m not sure why not. There are quite a few articles out on his racist WWII cartoons. I can’t look at him or his books the same way anymore.
P.S. I feel pretty vindicated for hating Dr. Seuss’s books all my life!
Hi Erica,
I think you somehow sensed his weird racist vibe in his books that most people put down as “fun” or “quirky”.
Thank you for sharing this on the DIverse Children’s Book Linky – I had no idea. It makes me feel ill… Although Dr Seuss was not big numbers-wise when my sons were small, Green Eggs and Ham and Horton Hears a Who were definite favourites. But as has already been pointed out, there are other great books out there so those are two books I won’t be saving for when I have grandchildren!
Hi Marjorie,
We own dozens and dozens of Dr. Seuss and my kids grew up reading and loving him. And now I learn that he played a role in my mother’s forced internment during WWII. I think it’s important for my kids to know about this too. I think I will still keep the books and the lesson is how media can influence the masses into acceptance of something that is wrong: movies, theatre, books and publications. And for the reader to be discerning when reading.
Wow, I didn’t know this!
Hi Jodie,
It’s pretty shocking, isn’t it? And not widely known despite the fact that there’s been a few big publications that have covered it.
Racism is horrible – no doubt above it. I am very upset to learn about this dark side of Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss in my book is a genius. We are criticizing a man from the 1940’s wih the opinions and mindset of 2016. What Americans did to the Japanese Americans is unexcusable. Japanese-American Interment Camps is an embarrassment upon our country and a great injustice. People were scared and rightfully so. Hitler, Stalin, etc. were horrible threats to mankind. Does this justify what Seuss or the Americans did to the Japanese-Americans – NO!
No one is perfect.
Hi Pam,
Dr. Seuss is certainly a giant in children’s literature, but I think his work and contributions need to be seen from all perspectives, and that includes his racist believes that also permeate into his children’s books. I think it makes many of them dated.
“Take home a high grade ni*ger for your woodpile,” is not really open to interpretation. This is not wartime propaganda and drawing little black sambo characters and using that word were ALWAYS considered by most to be, at best in bad taste and at worse just plain wrong–especially from someone born and raised in New England, educated at an ivy league university and Oxford, and working in New York City then California. He actually was considered a liberal. He also said that he and his sister were victims of anti-German prejudice after WWI. So, looking at him in this context and his time, it feels even worse. I assume that you are white so you really have no idea how this feels as a Black person. Everytime I see that word or blackface, I experience heartbreak, feel smaller, I get an ache in my stomach that feels like a gut punch, and the rest of my day is ruined like being attacked by a dementor from Harry Potter. So, I don’t have the luxury of seperating the person from his works because these are not isolated incidents or outbursts but indicative of a racist worldview that probably permeates most of his work so I cannot really see it in the same light ever again. I personally feel sick that I exposed my kids to someone so hurtful and ignorant.
OMG . Thanks so much for opening my eyes.
Hi Lisa,
It’s shocking, isn’t it? I would have never expected this from the person who wrote Horton Hears a Who, but there it is. He’s a racist. If he were alive today, he’d probably be supporting Trump!
It’s weird to me that the person who wrote Horton and STar bellied sneeches had this mentality because those seem to be celebrations of differences and diversity.
I agree that we do need to look at things in context but hate is hate – something just being insensitive is one thing but those drawings are not simply insensitivite or uninformed. (For example, mark twain using the n-word needs context but was not hate-filled or done with malice.)
Thank you for getting this in front of us so we can make more informed choices going forwards.
My kids do love his books but there are plenty we love so it won’t be a loss if I decide to remove them…
Thanks Jennifer,
Some think that Horton and Star Bellied Sneeches was Dr. Seuss’s mea culpa as he grew older for the racist cartoons he drew before he wrote books. He never did publicly apologize or explain himself. He dedicated Horton, I think, to a Japanese man from Japan — not Japanese American and visited the Hiroshima Bomb museum. Once a racist, always a racist?? I don’t know. I do know, though, that a Japanese national has never experienced racism in his own country so that’s not really convincing for me. That his racist cartoons against Japanese Americans contributed to their incarceration … does he have remorse for that? I don’t know.
I just think that he’s tainted and should not represent Read Across America. That’s sending a statement of white privilege and that past racist acts can be brushed aside. I don’t think that’s a good message to send kids.
Wow, 32 comments and I don’t see any mentions of how many facts are either wrong or left out. Theodore Geisel first made his living creating advertising and political cartoons for a living. He was catering to the audience of his day. He was very much against the dictators of the time, including Mussolini and Hitler, whose presence you mentioned was in world war 1, which is wrong. I would recommend reading this article in the Atlantic that shows a more balanced side and explains the story behind the cartoons mentioned and many others that were left out that show his heart. http://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/515031/ there are also many in depth books that thoroughly examine his work as a cartoonist before he became a children’s author.
Hi Liza,
“They also have their own flaws, most notably their racist portrayal of both Japanese citizens and Japanese Americans. Geisel’s bigoted treatment of both only a few months before the forced internment of Japanese Americans was something many believe he tried to atone for in his later books.” from The Atlantic. I corrected the typo for WWI vs WWII, thank you. But where’s the evidence that Dr. Seuss ever apologized or showed remorse for his racist political cartoons? This “interpretation” of his books such as Horton Hears a Who is not convincing.
That he was catering to his audience of the day does not justify his racism, particularly when he is the featured author for Read Across America. Seriously, catering to his audience of the day in our times would mean that authors who are White Supremacists could also use the same argument.
The article that you point out does not justify Dr. Seuss’ racism nor does it claim that he wasn’t a racist. Perhaps you should read about Americans during WWII who quietly stood up for Japanese Americans. Read Sylvia and Aki, for example. The banker who helps Aki’s father purchase land in the name of his son and rents the property during the time that they were forced into concentration camps is an example of “the audience of the time.”
I would also want to point out that my own family was affected by Dr. Seuss’s dehumanization of Japanese Americans. Dr. Seuss portraying African Americans as monkeys also is an unjustifiable racist depiction that furthered support of Jim Crow laws.
Dr. Seuss’s depictions of Mussolini and Hitler in his cartoons are a moot point: no one is claiming racism for that BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PEOPLE OF COLOR.
So amazing and disturbing…. Thanks for sharing, Mia. People should know this.
Thanks Melissa!
I’m working with another blogger to really address this for the upcoming Read Across America. I hear that they are discussing this issue at their upcoming board meeting. I honestly think that Dr. Seuss should be replaced by another author. There are so many great ones without racist baggage to build a literacy event around. Why not Eric Carle?
I am disgusted by Dr. Seuss’s racism and have just learned that the Cat in the Hat may have been inspired by minstrel shows! This was in Time Magazine, so it’s out there for all the world to see. I used to dress up as the Cat in the Hat on his birthday but will do it no longer. It makes me sad because I love the face of the cat and his smile….but I will always associate it now with a minstrel show, which makes me angry.
And then seeing his advertisements in which Black and Japanese people are drawn grotesquely and the n-word unapologetically out there.
The NEA has to retire the Cat. Perhaps they can use Pete the Cat instead or really get into the 21st century and feature books written by a woman (perhaps Doreen Cronin and her wonderful “Click Clack Moo” characters) or a person of color (I’m thinking of Floyd Cooper and his vivid illustrations of his African American characters).
Hi A Biracial Librarian,
The NEA is moving away from Dr. Seuss. This is the first year that they did not include him in their literacy calendar for Read Across America. I consider this a huge step forward too! Thanks so much for your support.
I too am disgusted at the learning of this about him. It I did research further about this and found that he later in life regretted his racist views and the work he did depicting it. Which supposedly resulted in him writing Horton Hears a Who in which he even dedicated the book to a Japanese friend. Then there’s The Sneeches written about racial equality. I do believe in the ERA in which he did the controversial work, helped contribute to the things he did, unfortunately. If u look at a lot of cartoons back in those days, a lot of things were depicted(both in writing and drawings) in the same type of manner. For example look at Warner Bros and Disney’s early work. I am in NO WAY making excuses for racism at all, that is TOTALLY WRONG!… but I do believe people can change and repent of their wrong doings, and maybe he did that. Only he knows for sure.
That’s a great point Carolyn!
Wow I just learning something today about Dr.Seuss I never have own a book. But I have always read them in school or from a family members OR tv show. Just wow and wow
I hope you get to own a book one day Chloe. Keep entering on my blog and I’m sure you will win. Or email me your mailing address pragmaticmomblog@gmail.com and I will send you a book.
I believe what someone else said in the article. I believe Geisel was a product of the times. How else would you explain this stuff even getting printed unless it was acceptable. Later in life he was embarrassed of his early works. And then someone of our time breaks down his stories to show how racist he is because he doesn’t have many people of color in his stories. To me that is simply more signs of the time. As a writer your environment as well as your imagination supply your characters. If a black man in Seuss’s story was a janitor maybe it was what Seuss was used to seeing. Maybe he didn’t have black friends. It’s 2020 and I know lots of black people I call friends but don’t seem to associate with them outside of work. I think he explained it well in his interview.
Dr. Seuss is a great children’s author. He shouldn’t be cancelled out, because of his past views. He should be forgiven.
I believe those that seem horrified by these illustrations would not have had they been living during the time that they were produced. We are always taking what is acceptable belief systems or behavior in present time in comparison to the acceptable ideology of past history. Right or wrong any of us planted back to those times may of though differently. It’s not your dna, but the accumulation of education and experiences that forms your opinions.
We find ourselves very judgmental on actions and words of people from the past although their behavior would be considered quite normal for the time. The Flit (the “Raid” of the time) advertisement is basically showing their insecticide will work against the big bugs in the jungle. Drawing an African King boiling a white explorer probably fit well with images of early Tarzan and other stories of explorers. Today if you were to draw an Aftrican tribe in a comical way, you would be roasted at the stake….so to speak.
I’m sure someday in the future when hopefully love for each other is a way of life, they will look back at some things Democrats and Republicans said to each other and wonder how we could have so much hate and ban all reruns of 2020.
It’s a shame to find out about this, but truth win out Like the song says, “People are strange.” Open racism was fairly common in the days when he drew these, and his other work over the years is beloved by generations of kids and their parents and I believe justifiably so. Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” has the “N word” peppered liberally throughout. Does that mean we shouldn’t read Twain? I don’t think so. What I DO I believe is that it means that people, even famous ones, are complicated individuals most of whom live within the social conventions of their times. Is it RIGHT? Not necessarily, depending on what social conventions WERE at the TIME. But that’s the way it was THEN. SINCE THEN, most people have realized that SOME social conventions, such as racism, were just plain wrong. While the truth should not be hidden by any means (and in the case of Dr. Seuss it obviously HAS been hidden from a lot of folks, me being one), but if someone does something worthwhile for mankind that enriches the lives of many people, that’s a good thing and in my opinion, those folks should be remembered more for THAT than for their sins.
Thank you for bringing this to light. I think it’s important to know. Where we as people arrive in life is most important. I had a father and an uncle raised basically the same, but my uncle was as racist as they come. My uncle seems to have been indoctrinated in the US Army. My dad was not. I pray that the end of my life I am remembered more for the person I became, than the person I was at 16 or 20 or 25.
I think that scans should be removed from heroes and heroines, so it opens hope to those who desire to improve.
I feel so betrayed by this person. We have so many wonderful family memories reading these books. I will be getting rid of these books, all of the suess books I mean. I think as we learn we need to do better, and luckily for us we are able to find literal thousand of other authors and stories who are better than Seuss, and who didn’t become famous by dehumanizing and devaluing human beings.
Black face is unacceptable in 2021. BUT it was widely accepted in the 1930s and 40s. Are we not going to play any Bing Crosby because he went blackface? History isn’t 2-sided. It’s complex and dirty. That’s what makes history so special. Dr. Seuss motivated and pushed a message of hope and unity. We were attacked. It was a different time. East and West Coast Cities were under mandatory blackout orders. The fear of attack by the Japanese or German was our reality. 140k in New York alone volunteered to monitor the skies for Attack.
Dr. Seuss united the public against the exact societies and governments that banned books and tried to control what the public read.
The Japanese people were ruled by fascism and a totalitarian government. The atrocities they committed against the Chinese people were disgusting and unacceptable. We would have hated them too. Look at the Rape of Nanking. Look at the work done by Unit 731. Japan in 1941 was NOT the developed, modern, and rich culture we know today. They were ruthless.
The Blanket statement “He was a Racist’ is toxic to our evolving culture.
Hi BMel,
The Japanese government — the one that you refer to as a fascist and totalitarian government — was installed by the United States when they forced Japan open under the command of Admiral Perry. Prior to that, the Japanese were a closed country ruled by the Shogun, the highest-ranking Daimyo. Did you know that they ruled for over 650 years?
If the U.S. has not interferred with the Japanese government, Japan would have continued to have been a closed country and would not have been waging war on any other country.