As an influx of foreign-made handicraft goods started to arrive in the United States in growing numbers following World War I, many businesses wondered what, if anything could be done to combat imports and retain their market share. Handicraft items like pottery, glassware, textiles, and jewelry were especially injured by imports, prompting a collaborative movement to educate American consumers and encourage domestic consumption. In 1933 representatives of these industries founded the Made in America Club to combat imports and encourage the consumption of American-made goods under the guise of protecting American jobs. The Club’s external promotion and internal records and correspondence not only promote the cooperation of a multitude of business sectors, it also included an unusual amount of collaboration between labor and management as union leaders not only became members but held offices within the organization.
But can a nonprofit organization affect large enough change? The Club sponsored membership drives, printed newsletters, and distributed free premiums to spread the message of buying American. While the Club and its members saw a brief period of success between 1938 and 1940 (fueled in part by anti-Japanese sentiment), America’s entry into World War II stalled the Club’s activities and following the war the organization dissolved. The rise and fall of this collaborative movement can shed light on the relationship between industrial cooperation, social movements, and economic power. While the Club did not maintain success for a variety of reasons (lack of operating expenses, loss of leadership, and the problems of consumer choosing cost over message as well as the problematic undertones of a buy American movement), their temporary achievements do provide lessons on how collaborative and grassroots lobby efforts function and if such consciousness-raising efforts can still have a place in a globalizing world.