Halt Hitler blue and white anti-Nazi propaganda pin with a Star of David

“Halt Hitler” anti-Nazi pin-back button manufactured during World War II in the United States. In the early 1900s, manufacturers began producing button pins that were used to rally support for a variety of causes. On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, and for the rest of the decade, American newspapers frequently reported on the increasing persecution of Jews and the suppression of their rights. American Jewish leaders employed a variety of overt and behind-the-scenes tactics to encourage the American government to take action, but the majority of citizens opposed allowing refugees into the country. Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939, polls suggested that 93 percent of Americans opposed entry of the United States into the war. After the country eventually entered the war in 1941, Americans used a variety of propaganda materials, such as button pins, to support the war effort, but rarely mentioned persecution of Europe’s Jewish population.