This picture was a democratic election campaign. In just under a year for the first time in history a president, Johnson, was placed on trial. Democrats openly appealed to racism during the election while Republicans concentrated on Reconstruction.
After the emancipation proclamation granted freedom to most slaves, the Freedman’s Bureau was organized by the government in an attempt to aid blacks whether it be in their attempt to attain an education, labor, etc. However, as was inevitable there was considerable resistance to granting freedmen and “freedoms.”
This poster is a good reflection of the way that African-Americans were portrayed by many racists during that time. Although I have seen such posters before in other history classes, I always find it somewhat surprising that African-Americans were viewed as such animals. In this poster, the African-American is portrayed as a huge gorilla, a monster.