When an art enthusiast or visitor encounters the “I Want YOU for the U.S. Army” poster, they will most likely see a gruff, commanding figure in the persona of Uncle Sam, dressed in red, white, and blue, pointing directly at the viewer, which would be you. This is perhaps one of the most famous pieces in the form of propaganda in American history. The image, which was designed in 1917 by the artist James Montgomery Flagg, came from the cover of Leslie’s illustrated Weekly Newspaper and was almost immediately adapted by the U.S. Army to recruit soldiers throughout World War I. The potency of this poster lies in its simplicity: a direct gaze, extended finger, and bold red letters demanding personal action. However, deep behind this picture lies a deeper story of patriotism, propaganda, and mass media intersecting on one of the most troubling moments in world history. This poster not only motivated enlistment but also transformed American patriotism from a passive feeling into an active sense of duty, using bold imagery and emotional appeal to unite a divided nation during World War I. In 1917, the United States of America reached a juncture. Since 1914, war had been executed in Europe, while America, under the leadership of President Woodrow Wilson, maintained neutrality within the nation. When the U.S. declared war on April 6th, 1917, the administration instantly faced an urgent problem: how to properly convert a peace-minded and divided nation into one united army full of patriots. Events like the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania, which killed 128 Americans, had already stirred national outrage and shifted public opinion toward intervention.¹ Hence that particular reason, President Wilson established a committee known as the Committee on Public Information (CPI), headed by journalist George Creel. It was the country’s first ever organized propaganda office, which would shape how Americans’ ideals and lifestyle changed, which drove them to view the war through posters, films, news, and speeches. 

As Christie and Clark explain in “Terror from the Skies: The Propaganda of Aerial Warfare in the Emerging Mass Media of the First World War,” the CPI was a part of a new development in “information warfare,”² in which the media was utilized as a weapon to manipulate public opinion and raise emotional responses from civilians. Posters like “I Want YOU” were one of the main attractions of this larger multimedia effort to try to balance and equate personal duty with national strength. Every color, every expression emphasized a meaning: the evident contrast of blue and red conveyed urgency; Uncle Sam’s unyielding gaze presented moral accountability. The message was stark, but effective-enlisting was not a choice but a patriotic duty. Is it a patriotic duty or not? Well, not every American heeded this call. There was tension between patriotism and conscience during the era. In “ We Are All Americans’: Kansas Mennonites and Patriotism During World War I,” historian Andrew Pankratz relates how religious communities like the Mennonites, who are opposed to violence, were said to be not true Americans since they did not enroll in the army.³ Newspapers and local leaders equated participation in war with loyalty, creating a social environment where neutrality was dangerous. Reflecting on Pankratz’s findings, propaganda stimulated enlistment but also fostered pressure that created a division between the citizens of these communities along lines of faith, ethnicity, and perceived patriotism. 

The “I Want YOU” poster has to be comprehended not only as a recruitment tool but also as part of the emotional climate in 1917. It informed people that to be a good American meant to serve, fight, and sacrifice for this land. For those who refused to serve, the pointing finger of the poster was considered both an accusation and inspiration. Whether rural Kansas or industrial New York, citizens were reminded daily that the nation was watching-and one’s loyalty was visible through action. 

Beyond recruitment, propaganda shaped the cultural imagination of war. In “An American Soldier-Poet: Alan Seeger and War Culture in the United States, 1914-1918,” scholar Alisa Miller describes how figures like poet Seeger were transformed into heroic symbols of sacrifice and national pride.⁴ Newspapers and literary magazines celebrated Seeger’s death in battle as proof of the American Spirit, at once romanticizing warfare as noble and necessary. According to Miller, such portrayals forged a “war culture” interlinking art, media, and politics. This same idealism is observable in the Flagg poster: the confident stance of Uncle Sam and the patriotic colors echo the cultural myth that America fought not just for victory but for moral righteousness. The poster reduced the larger message that was apparent in literature, speeches, and films: war itself was an act of unity, courage, and self-definition. By rendering the call to enlist a personal appeal–”I Want YOU”–the image blurred the line between art and propaganda, creating a shared national identity grounded in emotion and duty. 

⁵In the World of arts and designs, the design by Flagg is minimal but effective psychologically. The visual elements in this poster are very deliberate and effective. The serious look on Uncle Sam’s face inspires a sense of duty and call to action, although his extended arm and finger deflect the viewer from the image and create a sense of personal address. The bold red letters used in the poster, combined with the sense of patriotism established through the blue color of Uncle Sam’s uniform and the bright background, inspire both a sense of pride and a sense of urgency. The direct address of Uncle Sam, pointed squarely at the viewer, was borrowed from a 1914 British poster featuring Lord Kitchener, but Flagg’s used distinctly American symbolism. The flag’s vivid colors worn by him created national pride; his intense eyes and furrowed brow combine the idea of authority with urgency. The simplicity of the message , “I Want YOU,” is based on typography and gesture rather than complexity, making it universally understandable. Its significant success was such that the image was recycled in World War II, symbolizing American resilience across generations.

 

The “I Want YOU for the U.S. Army” poster is more than a relic of World War I: it represents the rise of modern American propaganda. Its creation rallied many citizens through the display of art and the unimaginable emotions that many felt when lots were asked to serve, it changed patriotism from passive sentiment to active participation. Even today, Uncle Sam’s commanding gaze reminds us how powerful imagery can shape national identity and collective purpose.

 

¹ David E. Shi et al., America: A Narrative History, 13th ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2025), 984-985

² Thomas B. Christine and Andrew M. Clark, “Terror from the Skies: The Propaganda of Aerial Warfare in the Emerging Mass Media of the First World War,” Southwestern Mass Communication Journal 31, no. 2 (Spring 2016): 1-26.

³ Andrew Pankratz, “We Are All Americans’: Kansas Mennonites and Patriotism During World War I,” The Mennonite Quarterly Review 93 (January 2019): 113-124.

⁴  Alisa Miller, “An American Soldier-Poet’: Alan Seeger and War Culture in the United States, 1914-1918,” First World War Studies 1, no. 1 (March 2010): 15-33.

⁵ Leete, Britons [Lord Kitchener] Wants You, 1914