Building National Identity and Unity: United States
As in Great Britain, the themes of self-sacrifice and courage were frequently used in American propaganda. Popular culture portrayed the American national identity as brave, bold, and gutsy. Uncle Sam was as superhuman as the comic book characters fighting the Nazis. Yet the grim realities of the war, including the staggering death toll on the battlefield, were also used to encourage and inspire people to support the war effort.
Norman Rockwell’s famous painting, Freedom from Fear, was inspired by the four freedoms that President Roosevelt referred to in his 1941 State of the Union Address. (The others were Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Want.) This popular series of images was thought of as representing American values. Yet because of segregation and discrimination, African Americans did not always share those freedoms. To suggest racial harmony, however, African Americans were often featured as heroes and patriots in wartime posters.
Left: Norman Rockwell's Freedom from Fear, first published in illustrated form in 1943.
Center: African American Dorie Miller, awarded the Navy Cross after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Right: Workers at an integrated aircraft plant.
Take Notes
Examine the three posters at the top of this page. Then answer the following:
- What do the “Four Favorites” cover and the “Buy War Bonds” poster depict? How do they reflect a sense of American unity? How do the images in the Land of the Free section also support an idyllic image of America?
- How does the WAC poster (Women’s Army Corps, a branch of the U.S. Army) use the themes of self-sacrifice and courage? Why were those themes important in order to wage total war?
