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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Pvt. Joe Louis Says_
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Pvt. Joe Louis Says_

Object numberMO 2005.13.20.9.1
Maker (American, founded 1861)
Issuing Body (American, 1942 - 1945)
Issuing Body (American, 1942 - 1945)
Issuing Body (American, 1941 - 1942)
Issuing Body (American, 1940 - 1942)
Date1942
Mediumpaper, ink
Dimensionsoverall H 40 in x W 28 1/2 in (101.6 cm x 72.4 cm )

DescriptionA color poster featuring a black and white photographic image of a Joe Louis as a soldier, against a blue background. Black text above and below the image reads: Pvt. Joe Louis says_ / "We're going to do our part …and we'll win because we're on God's side".

Small text printed in the bottom margin of the poster reads: For additional copies write to Graphics Division, Office of Facts and Figures, Washington, D. C. . . . Specify GPO Jacket No. 460989. / U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1942—O.
Label TextChampion boxer Joe Louis became a national hero when he defeated German boxer Max Schmeling in a celebrated 1938 match. In January 1942, Louis volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army. Later that year, he said of the war: “We’ll win, because we’re on God’s side.” His remarks were widely reported in the media and later used in this 1942 poster.

The Army recognized Louis’s value as a spokesman for military service and placed him in its Special Services Division. He traveled widely staging boxing exhibitions for military audiences and helped publicize a recruitment campaign aimed at African Americans.

A facsimile of the poster is currently on display in the FDR Library's special exhibition, BLACK AMERICANS, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND THE ROOSEVELTS, 1932-1962.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by the Adriance Memorial Library.
Credit LineGift of the Adriance Memorial Library
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
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