"Defend Your Country, Enlist Now in the United States Army" Poster
date: label: date made
content: 1940
label: associated date
content: 1941 - 1945
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Four-color print on paper.
label: Description
content: Specific History
label: Description
content: A proliferation of colorful recruiting posters emerged in World War II, with the army targeting particular occupational specialties like infantry, Women's Army Corps, Signal Corps, Army Nurse Corps, and the U.S. Army Air Forces. As in World War I, Congress found it necessary to instate the draft, as posters and other incentives were not enough to entice enlistees.
label: Description
content: The use of the Uncle Sam image by James Montgomery Flagg created a strong and appealing poster soliciting recruits for the army. This poster was later used on highway billboards and in edited form was the first poster on an express truck for Railway Express.
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: The Division of Military History and Diplomacy collection has been collecting recruiting posters for more than fifty years. Recruiting as an activity of the military is important to the understanding of who serves in uniform, during both warand peac, and the visual materials used to market military service.
label: Description
content: Posters during World War II were designed to instill in people a positive outlook, a sense of patriotism, and confidence. They linked the war in trenches with the war at home. From a practical point, they were used to encourage all Americans to help with the war effort. The posters called on every man, woman, and child to endure the personal sacrifice and domestic adjustments to further the national agenda. They encouraged rationing, conservation, and sacrifice. In addition, the posters were used for recruitment, productivity, and motivation as well as for financing the war effort. The stark, colorful graphic designs elicited strong emotions. The posters played to the fears, frustrations, and faith in freedoms that lingered in people's minds during the war.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Associated Place
content: United States
topic: label: Subject
content: Uncle Sam
label: related event
content: World War II
label: related event
content: The Great Depression and World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, General
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content: Military
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content: Art
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content: ThinkFinity
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U.S. Department of Defense. Department of the Navy.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: AF.70505M
label: catalog number
content: 70505M
label: accession number
content: 276931
objectType: label: Object Name
content: poster
label: Other Terms
content: poster; Army
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 38 in x 25 in; 96.52 cm x 63.5 cm