Unity in the Body

“United We Stand”

Lucy/Linus

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. 

“These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”

“Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”

“United We Stand”

During July 1942, seven months after the United States entered World War II, magazines nationwide featured the American flag on their covers. Adopting the slogan United We Stand, some five hundred publications waved the stars and stripes to promote national unity, rally support for the war, and celebrate Independence Day.

July 1942 was a critical month on the American home front. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, followed by a series of U.S. defeats in the Pacific, left many feeling demoralized, vulnerable, and afraid. The government was in desperate need of a plan to boost morale and raise funds for the war. After a brief surge in response to Pearl Harbor, war-bond sales had dropped dramatically.

As war production expanded, bringing economic recovery to some industries, others, like publishing, were threatened by material shortages and restrictions. The magazine industry’s flag-cover campaign, allied with the Treasury’s war-bond program, was a direct response to the uncertainties of the time.

For magazine publishers, displaying the flag was a way to prove their loyalty and value to the war effort. For the U.S. government, the campaign was an opportunity to sell bonds and boost morale. The magazines brought home a message of patriotism and ideals worth fighting for.

The United We Stand campaign of July 1942 is just one example of how the American flag served to rally and inspire the nation