Our Schools Serve Our World

World War II era propaganda poster highlighting the importance of education.

Reflecting pre-war borders on the underlying map (note Labrador and Poland), the image on this poster alludes to geographic knowledge and education as the foundation for a happy, successful society. Three smiling schoolchildren, their profiles spanning across national borders, make a not-so-subtle association with the American Junior Red Cross.

The ubiquitous cross is rightfully well-known around the globe, but the American Junior Red Cross is less familiar to most. The organization was started in 1917 by Woodrow Wilson, after the United States entered WWI, and encouraged children to “work in the great cause of freedom to which we have all pledged ourselves.” This included changing their diet to accommodate rationing and wartime shortages, creating care packages for soldiers, holding fundraisers, tending gardens, and other patriotic wartime activities.

The successful program continued through the Great Depression, with children aiding in relief efforts such as the distribution of surplus food, canning, and collecting donations. Membership was nearly 20 million (largely through the public school system) by the end of the Second World War, in which the Junior Red Cross again rose to the occasion to provide tremendous homefront support.