Schools at War: The Teacher, Democracy's Secret Weapon
Colour photograph cover of a teacher in a red dress and a boy in a blue shirt reading an open book at a desk, with a wall map and globe behind, under the title 'Schools at War'. The slogan 'The Teacher, Democracy's Secret Weapon' attaches a wartime role and a large abstract value to classroom work (glittering generalities, transfer).
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1945
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Schools at War, quarterly war savings news bulletin for teachers (photograph by Nicholas Muray; issuer not named on the cover)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Mixed
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- 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)
Schools at War, quarterly war savings news bulletin for teachers (photograph by Nicholas Muray; issuer not named on the cover). National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1685 (NAID 515356).
Text on the object
SCHOOLS AT WAR FEBRUARY 1945 QUARTERLY WAR SAVINGS NEWS BULLETIN FOR TEACHERS THE TEACHER—DEMOCRACY'S SECRET WEAPON [book spine: Two Sailors] [other book spines: illegible] [imprint: Photo by Nicholas Muray] [handwritten: 44-PA-1685]
