Government, Politics, and Reform - Overview
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.
"Government, Politics, and Reform - Overview" showing 1405 items.
Page 1 of 141
Portrait of John Hancock
- Description
- John Hancock (1737–1793), Boston merchant and politician, is famous for his prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence. He presided over the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia between 1775–1777, and later served as governor of Massachusetts.
- Hancock's portrait was painted by Boston artist John Singleton Copley early in the 1770s. The painting, now in the Massachusetts Historical Society, was copied by several printmakers. Joseph Hiller Senior's mezzotint survives in two versions. The Museum's copy of this print is one of the earlier state with just Hancock's name. Another version with the addition of his title, "President of the Continental Congress," and the artist's name, is in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
- Joseph Hiller Sr. worked as a silversmith in the 1770s. Like Paul Revere, another Boston silversmith in this era, Hiller also made engravings. Hiller may have worked directly from Copley's portrait or copied another print. Several printed portraits of Hancock made before 1800 offer evidence of popular interest in images of political figures and the active market for prints.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- ca 1775
- depicted
- Hancock, John
- original artist
- Copley, John Singleton
- engraver
- Hiller, Joseph
- ID Number
- GA*24021
- catalog number
- 24021
- accession number
- 219034
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Laura Keene's Bloodstained Cuff
- Description
- On the evening of Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Lincoln decided to spend a relaxing evening at the theater. The Lincolns and their two guests, Clara Harris and Maj. Henry Rathbone, arrived late to Ford’s Theatre for a production of Our American Cousin. As the president entered the theater, the crowd wildly cheered and the orchestra played “Hail to the Chief.” Lincoln set his silk hat on the floor, and the actors resumed where they had left off.
- At about 10:15 p.m., John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box, pointed a derringer pistol at the back of the president’s head and fired. Booth then pulled out a knife, slashed Rathbone, and jumped onto the stage, declaring “Sic semper tyrannis”—“Thus always to tyrants,” the Virginia state motto. Despite breaking his leg as he hit the stage, Booth escaped backstage and onto a waiting horse.
- The play’s leading actress, Laura Keene, rushed with water to the president’s box. As she cradled the president’s head, drops of his blood stained her cuff. She gave the cuff to her niece who preserved it throughout her life.
- Bequest of Virginia Adler Thompson, niece of Laura Keene, 1962
- Location
- Currently not on view
- associated person
- Keene, Laura
- Lincoln, Abraham
- ID Number
- PL*242707.01
- catalog number
- 242707.01
- accession number
- 242707
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Pitcher Honoring Frederick Douglass
- Description
- This hand-modeled and molded, unglazed red earthenware pitcher honors Frederick Douglass, "Slave Orator/ United States Marshall, Recorder of Deeds D.C./ Diplomat."
- Although the maker is unknown, we do know that the design for the pitcher was copyrighted by a J. E. Bruce of Albany, New York, in 1896, one year after Douglass's death.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- ca 1895
- designer
- Bruce, J. E.
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 1981.0353.1
- catalog number
- 1981.353.1
- accession number
- 1981.0353
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Cladding Fragment from the World Trade Center
- Description
- This crumpled piece of exterior sheathing was recovered from the debris pile of the World Trade Center after the building collapsed following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. While the towers withstood the initial damage caused by the impact of the hijacked jet liners being crashed into the structures, the intense fire that then raged proved to be too much.
- 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. Architect Minoru Yamasaki choose to use an aluminum alloy after first considering the more expensive alternative of stainless steel. The highly reflective sheathing of the twin towers added to the building's impact as a memorable landmark.
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
White House Solar Panel
- Description
- During his term in office, President Jimmy Carter fought for clean energy using renewable sources. As a symbol of his faith in “the power of the sun,” Carter had 32 solar panels installed on the White House West Wing roof in the summer of 1979. These panels were used to heat water in the household for seven years until President Ronald Reagan had them removed in 1986. The panels were stored in a government warehouse until 1991, when they were acquired by Unity College in Maine. The college installed some of the panels to heat their cafeteria water.
- This solar panel is one of the original Carter White House panels and was donated to the National Museum of American History by Unity College in 2009.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1977
- user
- Carter, Jimmy
- maker
- Inter Technology/Solar Corporation
- ID Number
- 2009.0154.01
- catalog number
- 2009.0154.01
- accession number
- 2009.0154
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Abraham Lincoln's Wedge
- Description
- Lincoln used this iron wedge to split wood while living in New Salem, Illinois in the early 1830s.
- In 1885 workers found this wedge during renovations to a house that once belonged to Mentor Graham in New Salem, Illinois. Graham was a friend of Abraham Lincoln’s, and Lincoln gave him the wedge as a token of friendship when he left New Salem to begin his career as a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois.
- The initials “A L” appear on one side of the wedge. John Spears, a neighbor, recalled the day Lincoln went to a blacksmith and asked to have his initials cut into the wedge. The blacksmith hesitated, claiming he was “no scholar.” Lincoln borrowed the tools and marked the wedge himself.
- Gift of Henry W. Allen, 1920
- Location
- Currently not on view
- user
- Lincoln, Abraham
- ID Number
- PL*030794
- catalog number
- 30794
- accession number
- 65826
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Caroline Harrison's 1889 Inaugural Gown
- Description
- In keeping with the "America first" economic policy of her husband, Benjamin Harrison, Caroline Harrison's gown for the 1889 inaugural ball at the Pension Building was an "all-American" creation. The gown was made in New York City by William Ghormley's firm, Ghormley, Robes et Manteaux. The fabric for the dress was produced by the Logan Silk Company in Auburn, New York. Indiana artist Mary Williamson designed the brocaded silk fabric in a pattern of bur oaks in tribute to Benjamin Harrison's grandfather, President William Henry Harrison. Burr oaks trees grew along Tippecanoe Creek, the battle site that earned the older Harrison his famous nickname.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- user
- Harrison, Caroline Lavinia Scott
- manufacturer
- Logan Silk Company
- maker
- Ghormley, Robes et Manteaux
- textile designer
- Williamson, Mary
- ID Number
- PL*044328
- catalog number
- 044328
- accession number
- 170780
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Election Poster, 1864
- Description
- This 1864 election poster shows portraits of the candidates for president and vice president, their parties’ platforms, and the candidates’ letters accepting their parties’ nominations.
- Lincoln had good reason to doubt his chances for reelection. No president since Andrew Jackson in 1832 had won a second term.
- The Democratic Party nominated Gen. George McClellan, whom Lincoln had removed from command. McClellan ran on an anti-Lincoln and anti-Emancipation Proclamation platform and left open the possibility of a negotiated peace with the South.
- As the election approached, Union triumphs on the battlefield helped propel Lincoln to victory. He declared the election results a mandate to press on for an unconditional victory and a constitutional amendment to end slavery.
- Gift of Ralph E. Becker, 1974
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1864
- associated date
- 1864-11-08
- associated person
- Lincoln, Abraham
- McClellan, George B.
- ID Number
- PL*227739.1864.F07
- catalog number
- 227739.1864.F07
- accession number
- 274861
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
McClellan Ballot, 1864
- Description
- Democratic ballot for George McClellan
- Lincoln had good reason to doubt his chances for reelection. No president since Andrew Jackson in 1832 had won a second term.
- The Democratic Party nominated Gen. George McClellan, whom Lincoln had removed from command. McClellan ran on an anti-Lincoln and anti-Emancipation Proclamation platform and left open the possibility of a negotiated peace with the South.
- As the election approached, Union triumphs on the battlefield helped propel Lincoln to victory. He declared the election results a mandate to press on for an unconditional victory and a constitutional amendment to end slavery.
- Gift of Ralph E. Becker, 1974
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1864
- associated person
- McClellan, George B.
- Pendleton, George H.
- ID Number
- PL*227739.1864.T03
- catalog number
- 227739.1864.T03
- accession number
- 227739
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Lincoln Funeral Pall, April 25, 1865
- Description
- Black silk cloth used to drape over Lincoln’s coffin while his body lay in state in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 25, 1865. The same cloth later covered the coffin of President James A. Garfield, who in 1881 became the second president to be assassinated.
- Gift of the Lake County Historical Society, 1962
- Location
- Currently not on view
- associated date
- 1865-04-25
- 1881
- associated person
- Lincoln, Abraham
- Garfield, James A.
- ID Number
- PL*242158.10
- catalog number
- 242158.10
- accession number
- 242158
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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