Keep 'em coming! - Wartime Production

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One of the central aims of the government’s poster campaign was to transform the US economy to all-out war production. The period before the war had been marked by unprecedented labor unrest as over 5.6 million workers participated in more than 10,000 strikes between 1933 and 1938. Many of the posters issued during World War II were directed at overcoming these deep-seated labor tensions, linking production to patriotism, and convincing workers that they were no longer just employees of private corporations, but rather, soldiers on the industrial front line. 

 

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The U.S. government understood that racism and discrimination threatened to undercut black morale during wartime. Under pressure from African-American leaders, Roosevelt outlawed racial discrimination in war industries, the first federal gesture towards civil rights in 60 years. The government’s posters, pamphlets, and films also carried this message by highlighting the participation and achievement of African Americans in military and civilian life. This poster, "United We Win" ties racial unity to success in the war effort and shows factory workers at an integrated aircraft plant during World War II.

 

Keep 'em coming! - Wartime Production