While Peanuts is primarily a source of character-based humor, Schulz managed to use his characters to relate to the prominent political and social issues of his time. Schulz never openly admitted to any ulterior motives, believing that people who were upset by the strip’s content were "take[ing it] too seriously." There is, however, an unquestionable presence of political, social, and religious commentary that can be interpreted to varying degrees. The public has certainly reacted.

Schulz often received letters from people accusing his comic of promoting sadism, particularly those who despised when Lucy pulled the football away from Charlie Brown. While it is her "meanest trick," Schulz hoped people would not take this type of character behavior to heart:

"Dear Mr. Schulz

What I have to say is said with love and as a Christian. Your comic strip of Sept. 28, 1969 is SADISTIC. You have thousands of well meaning children reading "Peanuts." It is sad that you must print a Lie in order to get a laugh......You are too good a man to print a Comic like this one. Think of the price you are going to pay and those you take with you.”

This re-printed letter was published by Schulz in his anthology Peanuts: A Golden Celebration as an example of the type vitriol some members of the public reserved for the strip.

A very important Peanuts moment was the 1968 introduction of Franklin, the strip’s first African American character. Franklin joined the gang at school and in play, and became a welcomed and lasting member of the cast of characters. His inclusion in the strip however did spark controversy. The following letter was received by the United Feature Syndicate, Schulz’s publisher, dated November 12, 1969:

“Gentlemen:

In today’s ‘Peanuts’ comic strip Negro and white children are portrayed together in school.

School integration is a sensitive subject here, particularly at this time when our city and county schools are under court order for massive compulsory race mixing.

We would appreciate it if future ‘Peanuts’ strips did not have this type of content.

Thank you.”

While Schulz may not have intended Franklin to represent the shift in American race relations, he was interpreted by some as such.

Religion was often the strip’s lightning rod. During the 60’s, Schulz published a strip in which Sally comes home from school with a big secret. She takes Charlie Brown through the house to an appropriate hiding spot where she tells him: “We prayed in school today!” Charlie’s hands cover his mouth.

The strip is open to interpretation. There are neither positive nor negative connotations, it is as neutral as possible, but it resulted in both anger and joy:

“I have letters from people who told me that this was one of the most disgusting things they had seen in a comic strip, that they did not think it was funny, that it was sacrilegious…it upset people on both sides of the subject, and also pleased people on both sides. –Schulz”

Whatever his intentions, the fact that during its run the strip incited so much positive and negative opinion is proof of its important cultural place. It is an unintentional barometer for the conditions of American society, or a vessel that lets people see and take what they want. One could call it the funniest Rorschach ink blot around.