Historical Political Cartoon: Civil Rights Bill Depiction (1870s) #3016426 (License: Personal Use)

The image is a black-and-white woodcut-style political cartoon from the Reconstruction era, likely published in a Northern or Southern periodical. It features a stereotyped Black man in overalls handing a document labeled “CIVIL RIGHTS BILL” to a robed, bearded figure holding large keys and wearing a halo-like sunburst-a symbolic representation of government or legal authority. The bill lists penalties like “$500 FINE,” suggesting satire around enforcement or perceived overreach.

Used in educational, historical, or museum contexts to illustrate racial caricature and political opposition to Reconstruction-era civil rights legislation; serves user intent for academic research, curriculum development, or critical analysis of media bias in US history.