The bear has one, too

President Roosevelt and a bear labeled “Russia” look at one another. Roosevelt holds a “protest agains the Kishineff massacres” while the bear holds up a “protest against lynching in the United States.”

Comments and Context

As President Theodore Roosevelt and his Administration sought means effectively to protest the pogrom in Kishinev, Moldova — where Tsarist forces killed almost fifty Jews and injured hundreds — he was acutely aware of a wave of lynchings in the United States, and his obligation to respond… and, perhaps, address the similarities. 

Of course, the national Administration did not sanction nor encourage lynching, but state governments did, and so did some prominent politicians, like Senator Ben “Pitchfork” Tillman of South Carolina.

As the Imperial Court in St. Petersburg let the president know that it would formally refuse even to receive a letter of protest — which outraged Roosevelt — their back-channel diplomacy also hinted at a discussion of lynch mobs in America. 

In the end, Russia, which would very soon become a supplicant, asking for Roosevelt help in mediating the its war with Japan, became well aware of Roosevelt’s views. World opinion was rife against the massacre, too. One of Roosevelt’s tools, often employed, was to employ public opinion. He encouraged groups like the B’nai B’rith and the American Jewish Committee — formed during, and out of, this controversy — to mount very public campaigns of pressure and signatures. The president was a prominent supporter, and hence applied pressure that might have been more effective than a routine diplomatic protest note.      

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-07-18

Creator(s)

Satterfield, Robert W.

Language

English

Period

U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)

Page Count

1

Production Method

Printed

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Cartoon

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation