The Opper Project website (http://hti.osu.edu/opper/) provides instructors with the information necessary to introduce students to using editorial cartoons as primary sources. Named after Ohioan Frederick Burr Opper, the first great American-born cartoonist, the Opper Project is an on-line collection of historic editorial cartoons. The cartoons, which span over one-hundred years of American history, are organized topically with associated lesson plans.
The cartoons are from the collection of The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library. Most are American, but some reflect the views of international cartoonists on the America. There are some famous cartoons here, but most of the images are not the ones typically reproduced in text books and instructional materials.
All the cartoons are evocative and teachable, and the topics available include a wide variety of central historical events and periods, including Reconstruction, American Imperialism, Immigration, several reform and rights movements, and American involvement in international conflicts.