The eNotes Blog Got Swag Top Ten Historic PoliticalButtons

Got Swag Top Ten Historic PoliticalButtons If you think that buttons proclaiming your enthusiasm for one presidential candidate or another is a twentieth century invention, it may come as a surprise to learn that swag has been around since the time of Americas first president.   George Washingtons political buttons were made of brass; in the center were his elegant initials, circled by the words, Long Live the President. The buttons were actually buttons, and were worn on the lapels. Buttons continued to be made from brass until the invention of tintype  (also known as ferrotype or melainotype) in 1853. Tintype allowed a candidate to press an image of himself, or any other image, onto sheets of iron metal. Worn around the neck, a hole was punched into the top and a ribbon was threaded through. In 1896, a patent from The Whitehead and Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey brought about the political pins we know today. Of course, today, temporary buttons, in the form of stickers, send the same message as their heartier cousins and are often distributed by the thousands at campaign rallies or in mass mailings. No matter what the form, though, the purpose of the campaign button has never changed: it shows other like-minded people the wearer is one of them and may help uncommitted voters be persuaded to join their cause. Here are ten memorable examples of campaigns-past: 1.   McClellan  Democrat 1864 (Tintype) 2.   William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, 1900. Prosperity at Home, Prestige Abroad. 3.   Herbert Hoover, 1928. Put Hoover On. 4.   Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Dick Nixon, 1952. Ike / Dick: Theyre For You. 5. John F. Kennedy, 1960. If I Were 21, Id Vote for Kennedy. 5. Richard M. Nixon, 1972. McGovern Cant Lick Our Dick.   (Nixon opposing George McGovern. Truly. Stop that laughing.) 6.   Gerald Ford and Robert Dole, 1976 7.   Ronald Reagan, 1980. Renew Americas Strength with Great American Values. 8.   Bill Clinton, 1992. I Still Believe in a Place Called Hope. 9. George W. Bush, 2000. Republican Dignity. 10.   Barack Obama, 2008. Yes We Can. Here at , we hope youll pin on whatever button most appeals to you and exercise your right to participate in democracy. So get offline, get IN line. GO VOTE!