“Come on! Buy More Liberty Bonds” was one of many posters issued by the U.S. government during World War I to encourage support of the war. This poster was created by American artist Walter Whitehead in 1918. Whitehead’s colorful poster shows an American soldier standing aggressively over a dead German soldiers body with his bayonet in hand. The German soldier is wearing his distinctive pointed helmet which was known as a Pickelhaube. The Pickelhaube became an item of fear and hatred for the American public. Dehumanizing Germans became a common tactic in American propaganda posters. This tactic influenced Americans to stop the evil barbarians from invading by buying liberty bonds. This is emphasized by the caption: “Come on! Buy more Liberty Bonds!” Personifying the enemy as non human was a common propaganda practice to drive Americans to purchase Liberty Bonds in order to finance the war. Liberty Loans were bonds that the Government sold so they could keep up with the expenses of war. These were sold back to the Government after the war. This poster was created and reproduced as a lithographic print at the time of its distribution.
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