Mine America's Coal: we'll make it hot for the enemy!

War Manpower Commission poster: a painted portrait of a smiling coal miner in a lamped helmet, with a service-flag pin with two stars on his collar, on a black ground. Headline 'Mine America's Coal' above and the miner's quoted words '...we'll make it hot for the enemy!' below, then 'See your United States Employment Service'. The quote is a testimonial put in a worker's mouth; the grimed face is plain folks.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

TestimonialPlain folks

Date

1944

Period

Second World War

Made by

War Manpower Commission (artist Norman Rockwell)

Region

North America

Country

United States

Medium

Poster

Issuer type

State

Regime

Roosevelt Administration

Leader

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Audience

Domestic public

Purpose

Recruit

Themes

Labor, War and the military, Home front

Event

World War II

Regime

Roosevelt administration

Leader

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Source

Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are

Source

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026

Rights

Public domain (U.S. government work)
War Manpower Commission (artist Norman Rockwell). National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1359 (NAID 515013).

MINE AMERICA'S COAL
"...we'll make it hot
for the enemy!"
SEE YOUR UNITED STATES EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
WAR MANPOWER COMMISSION
[signature:] norman rockwell
[imprint:] ☆ U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1944 O-604172