The World War II Bond Campaign

[An] interesting piece of social history.... Scattered throughout this volume are photos rarely seen in any text, which make a positive contribution.-- "Choice" A fascinating story of how the government managed to sell a bad financial deal -- U.S. Savings Bonds -- to a patriotic citizenry during World War II.-- "Star Tribune" Interesting observations -- most notably on the role of African Americans in the second world war.-- "Washington Monthly" Samuel offers ample evidence that ethnic Americans and African Americans participated enthusiastically in the war-bond drives.... [and] some suggestive insights, especially as he traces the civil rights movement back to the war years....-- "Publishers Weekly" Samuel writes engagingly, especially on the African American community, whose participation was not a "given" in those days for good reason.-- "Library Journal" Samuel's principal contribution lies in his careful delineation of the techniques used to promote bond sales and the way in which the bond campaign was received -- and often converted into agents of community cohesion -- by various segments of society. Particularly striking are his four chapters on bond drives among African Americans.-- "Journal of American History" Pledging Allegiance [The World War II Bond Campaign] shows how the black bourgeoisie -- including the NAACP, African American newspapers, business and religious groups, and college presidents -- used bond drives not only to defuse separatist forces and racial tensions, but also to lend validation to their own role and vision.-- "The Historian" As described in Pledging Allegiance [The World War II Bond Campaign], [patriotism] translated into a bond bandwagon that knew no bounds.-- "Smithsonian Magazine" Students of history who have time to read only one monograph on the war bonds should consult Pledging Allegiance [The World War II Bond Campaign].-- "North Carolina Historical Review"