Top of page

Notice
Special holiday hours in effect, December 2025 through January 2026. More information.

Photo, Print, Drawing "I wish to assure all Americans that Mississippi will continue to be the most law-abiding state in the nation" - Gov. Paul Johnson

[ digital file from original drawing ]

Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress.

About this Item

Title

  • "I wish to assure all Americans that Mississippi will continue to be the most law-abiding state in the nation" - Gov. Paul Johnson

Summary

  • Editorial cartoon drawing shows a police officer, with gun drawn, and a Ku Klux Klan member holding an automatic rifle, standing together with big smiles on their faces.

Names

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001, artist

Created / Published

  • 2/18/1965.

Headings

  • -  Johnson, Paul B.--(Paul Burney),--1880-1943--Quotations
  • -  Ku Klux Klan (1915- )
  • -  African Americans--Civil rights--Mississippi--1960-1970
  • -  Police--Mississippi--1960-1970
  • -  Race discrimination--Mississippi--1960-1970
  • -  Firearms--1960-1970
  • -  Smiling--1960-1970

Format Headings

  • Drawings--American--1960-1970.
  • Editorial cartoons--American--1960-1970.

Genre

  • Editorial cartoons--American--1960-1970
  • Drawings--American--1960-1970

Notes

  • -  Caption label from exhibit "Herblock Looks at 1965": African Americans testified before the United States Civil Rights Commission in Jackson, Mississippi, about the violence and torture that prevented them from exercising their right to vote. Governor Paul Johnson (1916-1985) contributed his own testimony, assuring the federal officials that he intended to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964. By portraying a policeman and a Klansman in cahoots, hands on the holsters of their weapons, Herblock expressed his negative opinion of Johnson and his skepticism about the enforcement of the law.
  • -  Title from item.
  • -  Signed "Herblock" lower right.
  • -  Published in the Washington Post, February 18, 1965.
  • -  Copyright, 1965, by Herblock.
  • -  Inscribed in pencil at top left: 2-18-65.
  • -  Forms part of: Herbert L. Block collection (Library of Congress).
  • -  Exhibited: "Herblock Looks at 1965 : Fifty Years Ago in Editorial Cartoons" at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., September 2015 - March 2016.

Medium

  • 1 drawing : graphite, India ink, and opaque white over graphite underdrawing ; sheet 57.6 x 38.4 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BLOCK, no. 6263 (BB size)

Source Collection

  • Block, Herbert, 1909-2001. Herbert L. Block collection (Library of Congress)

Repository

Digital Id

  • hlb 06263 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hlb.06263

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2012636941

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-hlb-06263 (digital file from original drawing)

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

Ultimately, it is the researcher's obligation to assess copyright or other use restrictions and obtain permission from third parties when necessary before publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Herbert Block ("Herblock") - Rights and Restrictions Information

  • Rights Advisory: Publication may be restricted. For information see "Herbert Block ("Herblock") Rights and Restrictions," https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/271_herb.html
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-hlb-06263 (digital file from original drawing)
  • Call Number: BLOCK, no. 6263 (BB size)
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. (Some images display only as thumbnails outside the Library of Congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site.)

Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
  2. If there is information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can use the reproduction number to purchase a copy from Duplication Services. It will be made from the source listed in the parentheses after the number.

    If only black-and-white ("b&w") sources are listed and you desire a copy showing color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

  3. If there is no information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can generally purchase a quality copy through Duplication Services. Cite the Call Number listed above and include the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

Price lists, contact information, and order forms are available on the Duplication Services Web site.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist. "I wish to assure all Americans that Mississippi will continue to be the most law-abiding state in the nation" - Gov. Paul Johnson. Mississippi, 1965. 2/18. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2012636941/.

APA citation style:

Block, H. (1965) "I wish to assure all Americans that Mississippi will continue to be the most law-abiding state in the nation" - Gov. Paul Johnson. Mississippi, 1965. 2/18. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2012636941/.

MLA citation style:

Block, Herbert, Artist. "I wish to assure all Americans that Mississippi will continue to be the most law-abiding state in the nation" - Gov. Paul Johnson. 2/18. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2012636941/>.