Transcripts For CSPAN3 Lectures In History American Cartoons

Look at the place where the the socalled socalled real world real world comes together with the cartoon and comic comes together with the cartoon and world comic world and that is why the. That is title of today why the title ofs todays class class is is bombs and bonds and taxes taxes. American cartoons american cartoons and and comics comics during during world war ii world war ii. I. I can remember can remember from my from my days days in chapel and Chapel School school, where our pastor, our gave us pastor something that gave us stuck with me ever a sermon that has stuck since. With me ever the lesson of since and the. It draws from two parts. Lesson drawstring two parts two separate to separate biblical biblical texts texts and one is. One is from from second kings if youre second kings, if you are interested chapter interested. For where chapter for, where the profit the profit eli shut elijah, not eli, not eli gia jean but eli has somebody shia, had somebody bring him 20 loads bring him 20 loaves of barley of barley and hes and he has got to feet got two feet 100 men 100 men. The servant asked him and they how are we going to ask him how are we do that weve only got going to do 20 loads of that barley . And the and the profit profits says give says, give them to them to the men the men that they that they may eat meet for the and thus says the lord says the lord they shall they shall eat and eat and have have some some left left so so, he, he said it before them said it before them and they ate and they hate and they had and they had some some left. Left as the lord told him this is what the lord told them. There is an incident there is an incident from from the the new testament new testament where where jesus jesus is is confronted confronted with with a crowd of a crowd of people. People 5000 people our going to feel these, how we feed all these people . People . One of his one of his disciples says disciple heres a young bully, with says, here is a young boy five barley loaves and two with five barley loaves and fish. To fish not a lot. Not a lot it could take six months worth of pay to feed the crowd of 5000. All we have is five barley lives and to fish. Shes a said, bring it up. It could take like six he gave thanks to months of pay to feed the it and the whole crowd of 5000. Crowd jesus said, bring it up. He gave things to it, and was fed and there was the whole crowd was fed and more than enough. There was more than enough. I remember my i remember, my pastor pastor saying, it saying, it does not matter does not matter how little you are, you can be a little guy, and i was a how little you are. You little guy, you can be a can be a little guy. I was not a little child, boy, girl, it does not guy. You can be a child, you matter, when there is a need, can be a boy, a girl, it doesnt matter. When there is a need if you bring your little bit, if you however little bit you might bring your little bit, however little bit you might have have, god will use that to, god will use that to meet you need. And he was trying to tell us that it did not meet the need. Matter he was trying to tell us, how little it did not matter, how little we had. We had. If we use it faithfully, if we use it to a righteous cause faithfully for a righteous cause it will help a big need, to be met. It will help a big need to be met i have been thinking about that lesson, for a long. I have been time as ive been thinking about that listen contemplating what are we for gonna talk about, in terms of a long time as i have been contemplating, what are we going to world war ii and paying for talk about in world war ii. Terms of world war ii in the days of world war. In the ii the need was indeed great. Days of world war ii, the need was indeed Franklin Roosevelt as gray. President made a number of frankly, roosevelt speeches to the american as president made a number of people and the freaks weeks speeches to the american right after the attack in people in the weeks pearl harbor and one thing he right after the attack of impressed in the american pearl harbor and one of the things he people, was that everybody, pressed upon the American People was that rich, poor, old, young, did everybody, rich or poor, not matter had a role to pay old or young, play a very important one. It did not matter, had a role to play, a very Important Role in getting this in getting monumental job done of paying this for the war, and winning the monumental job war. Done of paying for the war and im giving you an expert winning the war. I will give you an excerpt of his state of the union of address from 1942. The state of the union of address from just a few sentences that 1942. Just a few sentences will encapsulate what he was that will talking about here. Encapsulate what he and how he was urging all was talking about, americans to do their little and how he bit. Was urging americans to do fdr came before congress, their little bit. Fdr came before congress and before the American People on that occasion, and he said and before the American People on that occasion, and he said, war, cost money. War costs money jean. So far so far, we have hardly we have hardly even begun to pay for it. Even begun to pay for it we have devoted only 15 . We have devoted only 15 of our of our National Income to National Income National Defense. To National Defense as it will appear in my budget message tomorrow. As well appear in our war program for the my budget message tomorrow coming fiscal year, will cost, our war program for the coming fiscal year will cost 56 billion. 56 billion dollars. Or in other or, in other words more than half of the estimated words, more than half of the estimated annual annual, National Income. National income. That means taxes, and that means taxes and bonds. Bonds, and bonds and taxes. And bonds . And taxes. It means cutting it means cutting lot luxuries luxuries, and other and other non nonessentials. Essentials. In in a word, it means an a word, it means an all out all out war, by individual war. Effort, and family effort, in by individual effort and family effort a united country. In a united now, when he was talking about individual effort, and country. Now when he was talking about family effort he was talking about kids as well. Individual effort and family effort he was talking about kids to. Family effort meant that even if you were over family effort meant that even if here on you were over here, on the home front, and your loved the home front, ones were fighting overseas and your loved ones or over there as the popular fighting overseas over song went, there was still there work, that you could do to, there was still work that you could help to defeat the enemy. Do to help defeat the enemy everybody, both young and. Old and no matter how much everybody, both young and old, no matter you have or dont have, had a how much you had or did not have very Important Role to play. , had a very Important Role to play in the United States war effort. In this roosevelt wanted to make United States war effort. A very, very sure that and everybody was clear about that. Roosevelt wanted to make very very sure that everybody was clear about early in that new year of that 1942, United States treasury early in that new year of is already going to work, 1942, the United States treasury is trying to figure out how to already going to work, trying to figure out how to get americans to pay for the get americans to help pay for war the war. Now roosevelt was about talked about talked about taxes taxes, and bonds, and bonds, and bonds, and bonds and taxes. And taxes. We know what taxes are right . We know what taxes are, right . Its when the government it is compels you, to pay certain when the government compels you part of your income, to meet to pay a certain part of your income the cost of government doing to meet the cost what it has to do. Of government doing what it has to do. But what are bonds . But what are . Bonds a bond is an i owe you. Write that a bond is an i owe you, down. And i write that down and i owe you, its a statement that owe you is a statement that the United States government the owes you money. United States Government owes you money for so basically what uncle sam much. Was doing was saying, we will basically, what uncle sam was doing was saying, we are going to have people pay us taxes to pay for have people pay us taxes to this thing pay for this thing, but, we, but will also have to go into we also are going to have to go debt to pay for this thing. Into debt to pay for this now, a show of hands, how thing. Now, food show of hands. Many people have some sort of how many people have some sort of United States saving bond . A few United States savings . Hands. How many people have been bonds . Given Something Like that for a birthday, or a graduation or something of that kind . Right . How many people have been given Something Like that for it is a birthday or graduation or a very something of that kind . , very right . Important looking piece it is a very, very of paper that is interesting looking piece of paper that is not a toy. Not a toy. You open the card. It is not a toy, but it is a very official looking piece of paper with very official you open the historical looking card, its a very official people on it. Looking piece of paper and what your parents have what your parents may have to to explain to you is that it is a u. S. Explain is that it is a u. S. Saving bond, savings bonds, which means, which means you keep you keep it, you dont do it, dont anything with it for a while, do anything with it for but in a few years you will a while, be able to cash it, and get but in a few money so you can pay for your years you will be able to cash it and get money so education, this, that that, wet . You can pay for your important things is an education, for this, for that, for important. Thinks it is an investment in the future, by investment in the future by having uncle sam go into debt having uncle sam go into debt to you. To you. Okay . Okay . That is that is a savings bond. A savings bond. What the with United States United States treasury decided to do was treasury, decided to do, was to initiate a savings to initiate a savings bond bond program specifically for the program specifically for the purposes of collecting money for the war effort. Okay purposes of collecting money. For the war effort. How much . Okay, how much . Well, you well, you can get a can get United States savings bond at a United States saving bond that time for as low in the at this time amount as 18. 75. For an amount as low is if you gave United States 18 dollars and 75 cents. If you gave the United States of government 18 dollars and 75 cents and said i want to buy a bond government 18. 75 and that, and you wait you want to buy a bond, and you waited several years for that want to mature, it would give you back, 25. Is not a bad deal home . Home . You get 25 back years later but the slow lending uncle sam money, to win the war. I dont know about you, several years for it to mush mature, it will give you back 25 dollars. Not at that, deal . You put out 1875 you get 25 back years later. But this is all in but what if youre a little lending uncle sam money to win the war. I dont know about you, but what kid in 1942 . If you are little a little kid with his kid in hands in his pockets and one 1942 . A little kid with his thing that i have in his hands and his pockets. What he does not have in his pockets is 18 dollars and 75 cents pockets is 18. 75. Because remember 1942, because remember, 1942, were just coming out of the were just coming out of Great Depression. The Great Depression. So so, am i out of this what . Am i out of this . Am i out of great state in the u. S. This great crusade, and the government says no, you can United States government says no you are not. Buy something called united you can buy something called states savings stamps. , United States United States savings saving stamps. Stamps . Yes, this is what you United States saving stamps . Yes. Would do, you get yourself a heres what you would do. You would get Little Green Book like this. Yourself a little green in that Little Green Book like this. And book, you would place every in that Little Green Book, he would place time you would go and buy every time you would go and buy u. S. U. S. Savings stamps, what are you talking about stamps im saving stamps, what are you talking talking about stamps like about . Im talking about this. Stamps. Like this you could get these they. Would sell these they would sell overthecounter at banks, these over and other institutions, its the counter like okay, all i have, is . 10 its not much and they at banks and other institutions. And you say all i have is say thats okay its enough, ten and ten cents. Thats not much. They would say that is okay. That is enough. Because for ten cents, watch this. For because for 10 cents watch ten cents, you this, for . 10, you can go can go ahead and buy one u. S. Savings defense ahead and buy one usa savings stamp. Defense stamps. Okay. How does okay . How does that help . That help . How does that helps because you get help this Little Green Book, your . What how that stamp book you put the stamp, helps as you go to your right in here, maybe you have stamp book, the stamp right in here, and another stamp 80s to get maybe youve got none other stamps in the past and you stick it right there and there, these stamps, watch the stamps these stamps are various. Watch this. Denominations some of them the stems were from various denominations, some are . 10 on the dollar, some are a dollar, somewhere ten cents, and you get them, you get them, you of them . 50 and you get get them and you them, get them, get them and philip book full of you fill the book full, when them. And when it comes it comes up to 18. 75, you out to 18 dollars and walk over to the place with 75 cents, you walk that 18. 75 you can buy over to the place and with that 18 dollars and 75 cents you can buy yourself a war bond. Yourself a war bond. Those of you that are now those of you who are matt experts are going to realize that ten cents its going to take you a lot of time to buy enough saving stamps for 18 dollars and 75 cents. That is why the stamps came in various denominations larger than that. Math experts, you will realize that one dollar, its gonna take you a lot five dollars, things like of time to buy enough savings that. But what if you stamps for 18. 75. Are strictly that is why the stamps a ten cent kind came in various denominations of person larger than that a dollar, five dollars and like that. . Its all right. But, what if you are what it did strictly at . 10 kind of was person . What it did was, and we, as we are will see, the cost of a comic going to see. The book and was . 10. Cost of a comic book back then was action comics number one, ten cents. Superman, it has at . 10 action price sticker on it. Comics number one, first appearance of is worth a whole lot more superman now. , a ten cent price sticker on it. But . 10 then. Its worth a whole lot more than that now. If you only have . 10, if this is what you do, you you only got ten cents, heres what you do. You might might spend one dime on a spend one time comic book, maybe another on a comic book dime on Something Like a, maybe another dime on Something Else, like cookie or ice cream and then a cookie or a screen, another dime, you would spend but another dime on this. You spend what you did, is you had on this. But what you did is you have friends, i bought superman friends. I for . 10, you may have bought brought superman for batman. Ten cents. You may have bought back man. You may have bought wonder women. What we would do is swap and trade, see . What you may have bought wonder woman. What we would do, is swap is happening and trade. , even on the see . Whats happening even on level of the little kid a level of a little kid and and his friends his friends are her friends is that, it encourages kids is that it encourages kids not to spend not to spend every dime they every have. Dime they have but, but some of them, but away. To put some of it away. Into u. S. Defense saving he into u. S. Stamps. Defense savings stamps. With this did a monthly merit of the u. S. Save in savings bond what this did, among the merits of the u. S. Savings bonds program, was it program was that curb inflation. Because its happening, it curved deflation, because what is happening is is that when people are not that, when people are not spending all the money they spending all the have, it puts a cap on money they have got, it puts inflation. A cap on things. World war ii was inflationary time, and it world war ii was an inflationary time and it reversed the deflationary process reversed the deflationary program of the great of the Great Depression depression. So its one thing to have d a little bit of inflation to. So it is one thing to get over the Great Depression have a little bit of but you dont want to much in inflation to get you the way to do that is to over the encourage americans to keep Great Depression but you do not want to, the money in their pocket. Much and the way to do that is to encourage americans to keep some money in their pockets. Or save it. Or save it this book, and and this book and other other books like it. Books like it we they repr