Make Mine Freedom: Cold War Cartoon on Communism and Capitalism in America (1948)

1948 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JYXMWA?ie=UTF8&tag=doc06-20&link... http://thefilmarchived.blogspot.com/2010/11/make-mine-freedom-1948.html

Harding University is located in Searcy, Arkansas, in the United States, about 50 miles (80 km) north-east of Little Rock. It is a private liberal arts Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ. The university takes its name from James A. Harding.

The school was founded in 1924 as Harding College in Morrilton, Arkansas and moved a decade later to the campus of the defunct Galloway Women's College in Searcy. Today, the University contains forty-four buildings, a graduate school of religion in Memphis, and satellite campuses in North Little Rock and Bentonville. The student body of 6,100 students (including graduate students and all satellite campuses) represents all fifty states and forty-nine foreign countries.

Harding University also operates Camp Tahkodah in Floral, Arkansas, Harding Academy in Searcy, and the Harding University Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Harding American Studies Institute is designed to supplement students' academic training and promote "a complete understanding of the institutions, values, and ideas of liberty and democracy." In doing so, the ASI exhibits a generally conservative political stance, focused on going "back to the fundamental values that made this country great." The formal roots of this program date back to 1953, when Harding formed the School of American Studies.

Prior to the formal foundation of the ASI, Harding was also involved in the production of a series of animated cartoons extolling the virtues of free-market capitalism. This, too, forms a precursor to the political conservatism that has characterized the ASI. This series, including 1948's "Make Mine Freedom" (which, ironically, portrays activities not permitted by Harding's code of conduct at the time) and "Going Places", as well as 1951's "Meet King Joe", were all produced by John Southerland Productions as part of a concerted propaganda program to fight against the perceived threats of communism at the beginning of the Cold War using popular media. The animations portray mainstream American values, some of which might now be considered politically "liberal," yet at the time, they were meant to contrast with the values of Soviet and Maoist socialism. The initiative represented a central concern of Harding president George S. Benson, who believed that fighting socialism was a moral imperative, causing him to abandon the pacifism and political disengagement championed by founding influences James A. Harding and David Lipscomb, reversing the university's course and setting it on its current conservative political trajectory.

Currently, the ASI sponsors a number of programs aimed at promoting these values. These include entrepreneurial and leadership programs, a distinguished student honors program, the Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, and participation in the Walton Scholars Program, which brings in qualified students from Hispanic countries to Arkansas colleges and universities.

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[airwick4u]

i thought it was benz, not doakes who invented the automobile... o.o

[XIIIKarl]

What's the tune played at 9:11?

[u0455294]

This doesn't really talk about all the countries that AREN'T the United States that American companies did business in at the time that weren't so peachy.

[SulloLaw]

@Scotish223332

agreed.

[Scotish223332]

@slayer2961 Actually, it has more truth in it then you are led to believe.

[Scotish223332]

@Marveljew Comparable at the time, american way of life could be said more free to the alternative countries who were I simply call slaver states like the USSR who sent their own people to work camps in siberia to mine and die for the 'party'.

[Scotish223332]

@Marveljew [blink blink]

It stands for CaptainObliviousism.

[mainepreachr]

I'm a proud graduate of Harding University, the school that put this out "back in the day." Just watched it again and I'm amazed at how well it describes the choice we have to make today - between freedom and the false promises of the Statists. Sadly, we've consumed so much "ISM" in our day that I suppose "the jury's out" as to whether or not we will choose freedom.

[Marveljew]

What is ISM stand for?

[Marveljew]

In 1948, Jews were disliked and victums of prejudice for not worshiping God like everyone else and non-white people were also victums because their creed. So, this film is "bending" the truth.