Making a Poster: World War II Propaganda Posters
Focus on Propaganda. Just as it had in World War I, during World War II the government used posters to remind people about why the U.S. was fighting and how they could contribute to the war effort.
Read, “Every Citizen a Soldier: The World War II Propaganda Poster” (handout or online)
Collect at least 25 examples of World War II posters. Use your collection to create a poster-sized collage titled, Propaganda Posters from World War II. Group your examples according to the following themes:
|
Category |
Purpose |
|
Recruiting |
Posters encouraging people to join the military |
|
Conservation & Recycling |
Posters encouraging people to conserve and recycle |
|
Raising Money |
Posters encouraging people to buy war bonds |
|
Security |
Posters reminding people to be aware that enemy spies might overhear them discussing military matters |
|
Work |
Posters encouraging people to do more work, to do better work, and to be careful at work |
|
Why We Fight |
Posters encouraging people to be patriotic and reminding them of why we fight and who the enemy is |
You must have at least 3 posters for each category. Be sure the posters you collect are from the U.S. and from World War II!
The following Web sites will be very helpful to you:
o World War II Poster Collection (searchable database)
o Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II
Suggestion for Collecting and Printing Your Posters
1. Open 6 new Word documents.
2. Type one category name at the top of each document.
3. Save each document with the same name as the category.
4. As you find posters that fit in a particular category, copy and paste them into the correct document.
5. When you have completed your collection, print your documents.