Individuals have migrated to different countries for many centuries and are usually searching for a new start. This new beginning is supposed to be filled with opportunities and a future life full of joy and peace, but typically that is not the case. Looking at the history of hopeful immigrants, they faced the reality of forced demanding labor just makes ends meets. As technology began to become more prevalent in society, there started to be an increase in propaganda that advertised different topics and main events occurring at the time. An example of this would be during World War I, where there started to be more posters and public speakers pushing for the support of America’s involvement in the war. That was not the only type of propaganda being spread during this time; another type was the illustrations from artists that emphasized, through art, the main issues occurring in the world and potential solutions. This paper will be applying and analyzing the historical information that allows one to understand the intentional meaning behind the poster, “To Enjoy American Opportunities Become An American Citizen,” published by the Library of Congress in 1919.

To begin, when studying the illustration, “To Enjoy American Opportunities Become an American Citizen,” one needs to fully grasp the historical background of what was occurring when this art was made as well as understanding the intent that this artist was attempting to express. Around the year 1919, World War I has just ended, and in America there were plenty of individuals who were celebrating, which lead to chaos erupting; furthermore, this caused the unemployment of multiple workers, inflation, riots, and labor unrest.[1] One of the main events that happened during this period was the First Red Scare. It was an anti-communist riot that led to the arrest and deportation of multiple immigrants.[2] This is what led to the suspicion of immigrants during the 1919’s, which relates back to the illustration published by the Library of Congress.

Based on the historical background, the illustration was created during this time to lessen the suspicion of the immigrant’s intentions. Essentially, if the immigrants were willing to apply and become an American citizen then there would be a lesser chance that they had the intention of overthrowing the government. It is believed that when one becomes an American citizen, then they identify themselves as American to its fullest and considers American history as their own.[3] When analyzing the image, the main message that it is trying to send is that if immigrants want to live a better life and have more opportunities than they must become an American citizen.

This picture uses symbolism by showing a hand pointing at a sun in the top right corner emanating rays of light in the words, “Peace,” “A Better Place to Live,” and “Wealth”, which is used to emphasize America’s prosperity. In this illustration, the artist could have used any other symbol to represent America, but they chose the sun. This demonstrates the highest power source for all living beings, which in relation to the art piece, expresses how America places itself above other nations. One can also see that the background color is a vibrant shade orange, which evokes warmth and emotions, such as happiness. This further signifies how with becoming an American citizen, one will feel these emotions. When analyzing the font used within the image, the main message is bolded, which brings the viewers’ attention to it, while the lighter words are a secondary notice. These phrases express the unspoken promises and things that American claims that it can provide. One can also see a group of people, presumably immigrants, looking at the sun in awe and hope, which demonstrates the desperations of immigrants during this time for a peaceful and better way of life. This form of propaganda would easily influence immigrants to apply for citizenship because the main reasons why they came to this country were used to emphasize the results of becoming a citizen.

There were immigrants from all over the world, who came to America in hopes of gaining opportunities that they were unable to achieve in their original country. An example of this would be the experiences of Filipino Americans, who migrated from Philippines after it was colonized by America in the early 1900s, in hopes of accomplishing the American dream and living a good life.[4] Filipinos were not the only kind of immigrant to come to America; Chinese immigrants were also prevalent during this era. These immigrants worked long and hard to give their children the opportunities that America has promised to supply.[5] When reflecting on the history of America, the audience can apply others past experiences to understand the meaning illustrated in the poster, “To Enjoy American Opportunities Become An American Citizen”.

 

[1] Shi, Ramey Berry, Crespino & Murrell Taylor, American: A Narrative History (W.W. Norton and Company,

2025), 1013.

[2] Ibid, 1018.

[3]  Fonte, John. “Taking citizenship seriously,” The American Enterprise, vol.8, issue 2. Mar.-Apr. 1997, p.72

[4]  Manalang, Aprilfaye. “Citizenship and Postcolonialism: Interdisciplinary Reflections on

Filipino Americans and their Pursuit of the American Dream.” A Journal of

Transnational Studies, vol. 32, issue 1. Mar. 2023, p. 124-142

[5] Okazaki, Sumie, Tu, Ming-Che, Wong, Stephanie N., Zhou, Shangyun. “Realities of the

American dream: Vocational experiences and intersecting invisibility of low-income

Chinese immigrant laborers.” Journal of Vocational Behavior, 113, 2019, p. 88-102.