CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
The United States produced many posters exhorting people to join the armed forces during World War II, as the need for soldiers, sailors, and pilots was critical. Often, the Office of War Information designed and circulated these posters, which were displayed in public places around the country to generate support for the war. This one, however, has no identifying markings that explain its provenance, and it may have been produced within the Commonwealth of Virginia.
In this poster, the image and words of Robert E. Lee are used to encourage Virginians to join the Lee Navy Volunteers. Using the leader of the Confederate army to recruit Virginia’s men to join the Navy may seem unusual. It succeeded, however, and 650 white men enlisted during the summer of 1942, making this the second most successful recruitment campaign in the history of the United States Navy. The men mustered in Richmond and marched to the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue, where they saluted the statue of the secessionist general as the U.S. Navy Band played “Dixie.” In September 1942, the Lee Navy recruits completed a five-week military training regimen before being assigned to ships in the United States fleet, mostly in support roles.
The recruitment effort clearly targeted white men. Like schools and many public spaces in Virginia and across the South, the military was segregated. (It was not until President Harry S. Truman's 1948 executive order that the armed forces ended segregation.) The Red Cross even segregated blood during the war. This kind of discrimination prompted a major civil rights effort during World War II, when Black men and women employed the "Double V for Victory" slogan—victory for democracy abroad and democracy at home. Referencing the V for Victory campaign of the US government, Black volunteers demanded the right to participate as equals in the war effort, calling out the hypocrisy of the American government in allowing segregation. Black Virginians could point to this type of recruitment campaign as evidence of inequality during the war, as it appealed for white men and mustered on Monument Avenue, which was located in a white segregated neighborhood.
Citation: I Fought for Virginia – Now it's Your Turn! Join the Lee Navy Volunteers, ca. 1942, Lab# 08-0770-01, WWII Poster Collection, Visual Studies Collection, Library of Virginia.
Standards
Art: 4.1, 5.1
Suggested Questions
Look at it: Look at the poster. What images do you see? Why do you think these images were chosen?
Post Activities
Take a Stand: You are a journalist for the Richmond Afro-American newspaper in 1942. How would you describe this poster to your audience? What would you say, and why?
Up for Debate: Do you think it is appropriate to use the image of Lee, or any Confederate, for military recruitment or to instill a patriotic action? Why or why not?
Art Exploration: You are an artist creating a recruitment poster during World War II. What imagery and language would you use, and why?