Call to Action

Iconic "I Want You" poster featuring Uncle Sam.

While much of the propaganda posters used by the United States in World War II were highly focused on what we could do at home, many focused on getting people to join the Armed Forces and fight overseas for their loved ones. Many of these posters aimed at the individual in order to make them feel like they themselves could make a difference.

"Avenge Pearl Harbor" Was a common slogan to try and sway men into joining the war effort.

Allied Soldier reaching his arm out for some kind of assistance or rally while carrying a rifle. The image also lists the names of events that have happened throughout the war to get an emotional response.

Many of these posters would use events during the war that invoked strong emotions and anger in order to sway men to join. Pearl Harbor was the pivotal point for our country in this time period and was often used to do this. As the other poster features, Pearl Harbor was not the only soft spot for the troops. Bataan and Tunisia would also be used as this revenge boost for men and women everywhere. For the men away at war, they typically saw images of women and children that represented their families to show them what they were fighting for. These images put a fire into many men to keep going because if they don’t, their wife and kids would be in jeopardy. Many of these posters featuring women would turn them into bombshells and would lead to even more sexualization of the war.

Naval battle fleet with silhouetted fighter planes with various national flags representing the unity of the allied forces.

Various artillery cylinders each representing the allied forces, firing their weapon into the sky.

An image featuring the death of a soldier at the result of someone talking about sensitive information.

A poster comparing our fight to that of the revolution and depicting that we will never give up our liberty.

Three arms hold different forms of equipment: two of which is used to build war materials, while the other is a rifle used to fight the war.

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A poster used in World War II featuring a happy, heroic pilot trying to get others to join his cause in fighting the enemy.

An image featuring a strong, heroic looking man loading ammunition. The words "Man the Guns! Join the U.S. Navy" are displayed in bright red lettering in an attempt grab attention and recruit more men.

A poster used in World War II featuring Dorie Miller, an African American man who fought in World War I, in order to appeal to a variety of races and to show that we are not discriminating.