Government, Politics, and Reform

March on Washington Handbill

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln are all represented in the Museum's collections—by a surveying compass, a lap desk, and a top hat, among other artifacts. But the roughly 100,000 objects in this collection reach beyond the possessions of statesmen to touch the broader political life of the nation—in election campaigns, the women's suffrage movement, labor activity, civil rights, and many other areas. Campaign objects make up much of the collection, including posters, novelties, ballots, voting machines, and many others. A second group includes general political history artifacts, such as first ladies' clothing and accessories, diplomatic materials, ceremonial objects, national symbols, and paintings and sculptures of political figures. The third main area focuses on artifacts related to political reform movements, from labor unions to antiwar groups.

Date: 1970s

Test Rig for the Atomic Energy Artificial Heart

This test rig was used to analyze the ventricles made for the Atomic Energy Artificial Heart. An artificial heart driven by atomic energy was financed by the Atomic Energy Commission, and by Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA).
Description
This test rig was used to analyze the ventricles made for the Atomic Energy Artificial Heart. An artificial heart driven by atomic energy was financed by the Atomic Energy Commission, and by Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA). In 1977 the ERDA became the United States Department of Energy, which lost interest in the development of a nuclear heart. The engine was made by North America/Phillips while the silastic ventricles were made in Kolff's laboratory. Kolff replaced the Sterling engine with a small electromotor on the pump and obtained survival of a calf for 35 days with this artificial heart.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972
maker
Kolff Laboratory
ID Number
1998.0035.042.02
accession number
1998.0035
catalog number
1985.0035.042.02

Voting Machine Sample Ballot

Poster used as a sample voting machine ballot in the general and special election of Tuesday, November 7, 1972.
Description
Poster used as a sample voting machine ballot in the general and special election of Tuesday, November 7, 1972.
Date made
1972
ID Number
2003.0100.01
accession number
2003.0100
catalog number
2003.0100.01

President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President El-Sadat, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin

President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President El-Sadat, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin during Israeli peace talks, March 26, 1979.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President El-Sadat, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin during Israeli peace talks, March 26, 1979.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979-03-26
depicted (sitter)
Carter, Jimmy
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.029
catalog number
2003.0250.029
accession number
2003.0250

Fallout Protection, What To Know and Do About Nuclear Attack

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1961
referenced
McNamara, Robert S.
maker
U.S. Government Printing Office
ID Number
2005.0079.157
accession number
2005.0079
catalog number
2005.0079.157

Bob Dole and President Gerald Ford

Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Bob Dole and President Gerald Ford, the White House, October 1, 1976.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Bob Dole and President Gerald Ford, the White House, October 1, 1976.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976-10-01
depicted (sitter)
Dole, Bob
Ford, Gerald R.
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.079
catalog number
2003.0250.079
accession number
2003.0250

robe

Date made
1972
associated person
Clinton, Bill
user
Rehnquist, William H.
ID Number
1999.0345.01
catalog number
1999.0345.01

Button, "I Voted"

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1978
maker
Gateways D.C. 20011
ID Number
2005.0290.02
accession number
2005.0290
catalog number
2005.0290.02

Cladding Fragment from the World Trade Center

Description: This crumpled piece of exterior sheathing from the World Trade Center was recovered from the debris pile.Context: The twin towers of the World Trade Center, a New York City landmark and the tallest buildings in the world when completed in 1973, were noted for their i
Description
Description: This crumpled piece of exterior sheathing from the World Trade Center was recovered from the debris pile.
Context: The twin towers of the World Trade Center, a New York City landmark and the tallest buildings in the world when completed in 1973, were noted for their incredible 110-story height and their gleaming exterior. The towers were clad in an aluminum alloy sheathing that gave the buildings a golden sheen at sunrise and sunset. The material covered the closely-spaced exterior steel columns, enhancing their soaring appearance.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 1960s-early 1970s
ID Number
2002.0205.05
accession number
2002.0205
catalog number
2002.0205.05

American Indian Movement

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1970s
depicted
Sitting Bull
ID Number
2003.0317.065
catalog number
2003.0317.065
accession number
2003.0317

Register!

A poster with a drawing of Dick Tracy encouraging citizens to vote.Currently not on view
Description
A poster with a drawing of Dick Tracy encouraging citizens to vote.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1976
maker
U.S. Government Printing Office
ID Number
2002.0188.01
accession number
2002.0188
catalog number
2002.0188.01

Urban Ecology Button

Ecology is a branch of science dealing with the relationships of organisms within an environment. Urban ecology is the study of how organisms coexist in a hard-landscape urban area.
Description
Ecology is a branch of science dealing with the relationships of organisms within an environment. Urban ecology is the study of how organisms coexist in a hard-landscape urban area. This button showing a dead bird in the city is a satirical example of how ecosystems cannot coexist without a balanced relationship.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970s
ID Number
1996.0130.35
catalog number
1996.0130.35
accession number
1996.0130

Somebody Paid the Price for Your Right Register/Vote

This object is a single-sided printed poster.
Description
This object is a single-sided printed poster. It depicts a view from the August 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs abd Freedom civil rights protest march in a black and white photograph, with African Americans carrying signs demanding an end to segregated schools and racial bias. The title reads "Somebody Paid the Price for Your Right Register/Vote." The photograph was taken by Flip Schulke, who was a noted American photojournalist of the civil rights movement in the 1950s-1960s. The poster was commissioned by the A. Philip Randolph Educational Fund and printed by the Lithographers and Photoengravers International Union (LPIU) in Washington, D.C. circa 1971. A. Philip Randolph was a leading activist of both the labor union and the civil rights movements. The A. Philip Randolph Educational Fund and its larger umbrella organization the A. Philip Randolph Institute are affiliated with the AFL-CIO, and serve to support labor issues primarily of African Americans.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
circa 1971
1971 circa
1970 circa
Associated Date
1963-08-28
commissioner
A. Philip Randolph Educational Fund
referenced
Randolph, A. Philip
photographer
Schulke, Flip
maker
Lithographers and Photoengravers International Union
ID Number
2018.0124.01
accession number
2018.0124
catalog number
2018.0124.01

Make It Real - Register/Vote

This object is a single-sided printed poster. It depicts African American children with faces that appear to be expressing hope in a black and white photograph taken by Flip Schulke, who was a noted American photojournalist of the civil rights movement of the 1950s-1960s.
Description
This object is a single-sided printed poster. It depicts African American children with faces that appear to be expressing hope in a black and white photograph taken by Flip Schulke, who was a noted American photojournalist of the civil rights movement of the 1950s-1960s. The title reads "Make It Real register/vote." The poster was commissioned by the A. Philip Randolph Educational Fund and printed by the Lithographers and Photoengravers International Union (LPIU) in Washington, D.C. circa 1971. A. Philip Randolph was a leading activist of both the labor union and the civil rights movements. The A. Philip Randolph Educational Fund and its larger umbrella organization the A. Philip Randolph Institute are affiliated with the AFL-CIO, and serve to support labor issues primarily of African Americans.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
circa 1971
1971 circa
1970 circa
commissioner
A. Philip Randolph Educational Fund
referenced
Randolph, A. Philip
photographer
Schulke, Flip
printer
Lithographers and Photoengravers International Union
ID Number
2018.0124.02
accession number
2018.0124
catalog number
2018.0124.02

Democratic National Convention

The object is an original drawing of the 1976 Democratic National Convention in New York, created by Freda L. Reiter and used by ABC TV News.Currently not on view
Description
The object is an original drawing of the 1976 Democratic National Convention in New York, created by Freda L. Reiter and used by ABC TV News.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
associated date
1976
associated institution
Democratic National Party
artist
Reiter, Freda L.
user
American Broadcasting Company
ID Number
1979.0667.01
accession number
1979.0667
catalog number
1979.0667.01

Seneca Falls South

Program from the 1977 International Women's Year National Conference, with schedule of events, map and speakers.Currently not on view
Description
Program from the 1977 International Women's Year National Conference, with schedule of events, map and speakers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
associated date
1977
November 18-21, 1977
ID Number
1978.0307.24
accession number
1978.0307
catalog number
1978.0307.24

Prensa Libre De Chicago Vol 7 N 500

date made
1970-09-03
ID Number
PL.319022.02
accession number
319022
catalog number
319022.02

El Popo

date made
1971 circa
referenced
Raza Unida Party
ID Number
PL.319022.50
accession number
319022
catalog number
319022.50

Boycott Grapes

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-1970 circa
direct
United Farm Workers
ID Number
PL.296849.28
catalog number
296849.28
accession number
296849

ERA Charm Bracelet

This is the second of four bracelets displaying charms for the states that voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).The 19th amendment giving women the right to vote was ratified on August 18, 1920.
Description
This is the second of four bracelets displaying charms for the states that voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
The 19th amendment giving women the right to vote was ratified on August 18, 1920. Women had won the vote but not full equality, so Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party took up the fight for equal rights. Believing that the more she understood about law the more useful she would be, Paul went back to school and earned three law degrees. In 1923 she drafted the text of the Equal Rights Amendment and worked for women’s equality in national and international forums for the rest of her career. In 1972 when Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment designed to guarantee protection against sexual discrimination for women under the law and sent it to the states for ratification, Paul began a set of charm bracelets. She added a charm engraved with the date that each state ratified the amendment. She had started her fourth bracelet when she suffered a stroke in 1974. An Ohio state charm dated 2/7/74 was the last one that she added. Alice Paul died on July 9, 1977, at the age of 92. She would never know that the amendment for which she had fought so long and hard would not be ratified.
This bracelet has charms representing states that had ratified the amendment after its passing. There are charms for California, Wyoming, South Dakota, Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, Connecticut, and Washington.
The ERA failed to meet the requisite number of state ratifications (38) by Congress’ deadline of June 30, 1982 and so was not adopted as a Constitutional amendment. It has since been reintroduced several times.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1972-1973
associated institution
National Woman's Party
associated person
Paul, Alice
ID Number
1987.0165.040
catalog number
1987.0165.040
accession number
1987.0165

Ron Ziegler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973-11
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.300
catalog number
2014.0112.300
accession number
2014.0112

Ron Ziegler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973-11
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.302
catalog number
2014.0112.302
accession number
2014.0112

Ron Ziegler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973-11
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.301
catalog number
2014.0112.301
accession number
2014.0112

Secretary of State Cyrus Vance confers with President Carter

Secretary of State Cyrus Vance confers with President Carter on the colonnade of the White House, April 1977.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance confers with President Carter on the colonnade of the White House, April 1977.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977-04
depicted (sitter)
Carter, Jimmy
Vance, Cyrus R.
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.076
catalog number
2003.0250.076
accession number
2003.0250

President Gerald Ford

President Gerald Ford llistens with son Jack and daughter Susan as Betty Ford reads her husband's concession statement. Ford was too hoarse to speak himself. The White House, November 3, 1976.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
President Gerald Ford llistens with son Jack and daughter Susan as Betty Ford reads her husband's concession statement. Ford was too hoarse to speak himself. The White House, November 3, 1976.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976-11-03
depicted (sitter)
Ford, Gerald R.
maker
Walker, Diana
ID Number
2003.0250.135
accession number
2003.0250
catalog number
2003.0250.135

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