War Propaganda

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In this chapter, From Civilians to soldiers and Back Again: Domestic Propaganda and the Discourse of Public Reconstitution in the U.S. Treasury’s World War II Bond Campaign the author, James Kimble, speaks on the morality of the Treasury campaign during World War II. But more specifically the propaganda the Treasury produced in the home front. In the essay, it claims many American during this time feared the war would reach their homes, but the author suggests that the public had an “ignorance of war’s reality.” America was nowhere near war; in fact, it was isolated from the war fronts. This was a concern for Roosevelt’s administration. They worried that the citizens would lose interest and focus on the war. So to solve the problem the administration …show more content…
I guess college would not be college unless you actually learned something. And I feel that I am learning about history all over again with a different perspective. Growing up in high school history I always saw posters of war propaganda in textbooks and as an American, I never thought anything of it, I never questioned it. I simply thought it was a way to motivate Americans to be aware of war. But from the perspective of this author, I feel as if the government was making Americans feel guilty and brainwashing them into “doing the right thing.” I hated how guilty the propaganda made Americans feel as if they don’t buy bonds they are letting their country down. In fact, a quote from Odegard himself admits early in the war that “one of the principles of propaganda is that you must be unobtrusive as to motive in order to be effective.” This gives evidence that the propaganda was pure manipulation and gives bad moral judgments as said by the author. The treasury’s agenda was primary the war bonds program to attempt to constitute and reconstitute its home front. As said by the author Kimble, this was immoral and damages the values of public debate and