Racist political cartoons are as American as apple pie (baked by a black mammy for Thomas Jefferson). They've long been used to stir up fear of minority groups depicted as encroaching menaces, be they African-American, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Irish, Jewish, and really anyone who isn't a WASP.
As overt racism has become less socially acceptable, most artists have become less bigoted or simply toned down the ignorance in their artistic social commentary, but a select few still stoke the fires of insensitivity with caricatures of President Barack Obama that are both racist and disrespectful to the office he holds. With race still an issue in the 2012 Presidential Election taking place today, take a look at The 50 Most Racist Political Cartoons to see how far the country has come.
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Written by Adam Martin (@ghostofkelor)