Analyze This!

Through our Perilous Times projects, we have all come to the conclusion that civil liberties are indeed inhibited and infringed upon during wartime. The ‘how’ in this statement is a little trickier. It appears that the leaders create an intense fear of the opposition in the people, thus justifying the fact that they are taking away these people’s civil liberties. From here, they find clauses in the Constitution and manipulate them to further justify their actions. McCarthy created an intense fear in the people with false claims and allegations that created a paranoia-like state. Abraham Lincoln displays utilizing the constitution by his suspending habeas corpus.

Yet this alone is oftentimes not enough to succeed in the infringement of civil liberties. There is another very powerful tool used: propaganda. It is seen throughout all wars and has been used as a manipulating tool for many different reasons in time of war. It could be used in attempts to unify the people, vilify the opposition, or create a sense of panic and need. Below is propaganda used throughout the centuries in varying times of war. Analyze each picture carefully and think about its historical context. Why was each picture was used? Is there any symbolism involved? Does it make a convincing argument? Do you think it made the public more susceptible in letting the government infringe their civil liberties? Why or why not?