---
title: 'For trade, travel, defense: the American Merchant Marine! National Maritime Day, May 22, 1947'
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/for-trade-travel-defense-merchant-marine-1947/
description: A passenger and cargo ship, marked 'U.S. Merchant Marine', is loaded at a pier while dockworkers move crates, under a red banner reading 'for TRADE TRAVEL
section: Collection
---

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3. For trade, travel, defense: the American Merchant Marine! National

[![For trade, travel, defense: the American Merchant Marine! National Maritime Day, May 22, 1947, 1947 US poster: A passenger](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/for-trade-travel-defense-merchant-marine-1947.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/for-trade-travel-defense-merchant-marine-1947.jpg)

# For trade, travel, defense: the American Merchant Marine! National Maritime Day, May 22, 1947

A passenger and cargo ship, marked 'U.S. Merchant Marine', is loaded at a pier while dockworkers move crates, under a red banner reading 'for TRADE TRAVEL DEFENSE' and a blue panel announcing National Maritime Day. The slogan strings three broad goods together as the case for the merchant fleet (glittering generalities).

## Propaganda techniques used in this poster

[Glittering generalities](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/glittering-generalities/)

## Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
for TRADE·TRAVEL·DEFENSE-

The AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE!

NATIONAL MARITIME DAY
MAY 22, 1947

[on ship's bow:] U.S. MERCHANT MARINE
[on gangway:] [...]ARINE LINE
```

[← If you want to learn the business, I can show you the route (Santa and the G.O.P. sack)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/berryman-santa-gop-sleigh-1946/) [General Assembly →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/general-assembly-united-nations-1947/)

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