Original Items: Only One Group Available. The outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939 posed a serious challenge to U.S. neutrality, since Americans' sympathies lay overwhelmingly with Great Britain and its allies. The task of remaining neutral became even more formidable in mid-1940, when it appeared as though AH's Germany might actually win the war. Public sentiment overwhelmingly favored staying out of the war, yet at the same time most Americans believed that a German victory would pose a threat to national security.
 
This grouping includes the following items:
 
Help Keep U.S. Out of War (full card): Display card of 24 "Keep U.S. Out of War" pinback buttons opposing American intervention in World War II, dated 1939. Buttons made by Philadelphia Badge Co., Philadelphia, with stated 1939 copyright at curl. Card features an enlargement of the design on the buttons, with two rows of six pinned to either side. The card features the writing:


Each button features the same enlarged image in the center of the card, the United States with each state outlined with “KEEP” centered and above “U.S.” which is displayed across the United States image and has the words “OUT OF WAR” centered below it. The card itself measures 11 ½ x 9 inches and each individual button is about 1” x 1”.  
 
- x5 Stay Neutral/Keep America Out of War buttons:
Printed on a white approximately 1”x 1” button with a circle of white stars on a blue background are the words:
 
Printed on an all white ⅞ of an inch button in black lettering:

Printed on an all green ⅞ of an inch button in white lettering:

Printed on a two tone 6/8 of an inch button:
Printed on a red, white and blue ½ button with an American flag shield in the center on a white circular background:


 
All 5 pins are in great shape for being over 80 years old and can still be read clearly.
 
- 4” x 4” sticker which no longer has any adhesiveness to it. The sticker features a vertical red, white and blue background with the words:

The sticker has faded slightly but shows signs of no damage or tears in it.
 
-KEEP U.S. OUT OF WAR BE NEUTRAL license plate topper. The topper is made of a thin steel stamped construction in the shape of a shield and painted like a vertical American flag with the following in the middle:
The shield is in good condition and has very small rust marks on the face where bits of paint have worn off, the message is still loud and clear
 
-Citizens Keep America Out of War Committee 2” x 1 ⅞” sticker. This small sticker no longer has any adhesiveness to the back. The sticker features a large red letter A outlines with white on the left with red lettered words also backed with white branching off the right leg of the large letter A. The background is all blue with a thin red rectangle going across the bottom with more white lettering. The message is as followed:

The condition is excellent and only has minuscule damage to the top right corner.
 
This is a rather extensive stay neutral campaign grouping all in very beautiful condition. Every item comes ready to display in your homefront collection!
 
Numerous groups advocated against American involvement in World War II. Some, like the National Council for the Prevention of War (founded in 1921 to promote neutrality) and Keep America Out of War Congress (founded in 1938 to oppose Roosevelt’s foreign policy), predated the war. Others united multiple constituencies after the war began to lobby more effectively. Mothers who did not wish to send their sons to war, Americans of German or Italian descent, Americans of Irish descent (who opposed helping Great Britain), socialists, students, pacifists, and a host of prominent businessmen, intellectuals, and average citizens took action to prevent US intervention. Though more Republicans than Democrats advocated non-intervention, these groups were not split along partisan lines. Many antiwar advocates did not appreciate the term “isolationist” commonly used to describe them. They often argued for a strong national defense and broad economic spheres of influence, even as they tried to persuade felt the United States to stay out of war.
 
The largest and most influential non-interventionist group was the America First Committee, founded in the summer of 1940 by a group of Yale University law students. By September 1940, the students, led by R. Douglas Stuart Jr., had gathered prominent Americans to serve on the organization’s board, including the president of the American Olympic Committee Avery Brundage, Hormel Foods chief executive Jay Hormel, Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, late President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth, and General Hugh Johnson, who had been the director of the National Recovery Act, one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s early New Deal programs. Democratic senator Burton Wheeler (Montana), and Republican senators Gerald Nye (North Dakota) and Robert Taft (Ohio) also served as important spokesmen for the organization.
 
The America First Committee (AFC), which may have had some 800,000 members and at least 450 local chapters, encouraged civic engagement, such as letter-writing campaigns to elected officials, and sponsored rallies and speeches throughout the country. Charles Lindbergh, who achieved international fame in 1927 for piloting the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, became the committee’s most prominent speaker. Even before AFC’s founding, Lindbergh had given radio speeches opposing US involvement in the war and warning of Germany’s military superiority. During a September 11, 1941, speech in Des Moines, Iowa, Lindbergh warned listeners that “the Jewish people” had too much influence on American media and government and were “war agitators.” Newspapers throughout the country denounced Lindbergh’s speech as antisemitic. Even though the America First Committee did not officially promote antisemitism, the organization tolerated these sentiments among its members.