Square NRA (National Recovery Administration) membership stamp

American National Recovery Administration (NRA) membership poster stamp. Poster stamps were collectable stamps, slightly larger than postage stamps, with designs similar to posters. Although they were not valid for postage, poster stamps could be affixed to letters and envelopes as a means for fundraising, propaganda, and educational purposes. The NRA was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the first 100 days of his presidency with the passage of National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA). The NRA was created to stimulate business recovery by eliminating unfair trade practices, reducing unemployment, establishing minimum wages and maximum hours, and guaranteeing the right of labor to bargain collectively. These goals were accomplished through the creation of industry-wide fair practice codes. The codes were established by NRA boards made up of representatives from business, labor, and government. Companies that subscribed to the NRA codes were allowed to display a Blue Eagle emblem that showed their cooperation with the NRA. One long-term success of the NRA was the abolishment of child labor, which, to that point, continued in the textile industry. However, many felt that the codes benefitted big business at the expense of consumers and small businesses, and many business leaders resented the NRA for interfering in the private sector. In 1935, NIRA was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and the NRA was forced to shut down. Despite this, many provisions established by the NRA codes were included in subsequent legislation.