In 1896, William McKinley became the Republican presidential nominee in the midst of an economic crisis that had been going on for three years. In response, one of his campaign slogans was a “full dinner pail.” Because miners, factory workers, and other workers carried metal dinner pails (the lunch box of their day), this slogan, promising voters prosperity and a sound economy, particularly targeted the labor vote. McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic nominee. The recession finally ended in 1897 and, in his re-election campaign of 1900, McKinley revised his slogan to “Four More Years of a Full Dinner Pail. He won easily, again against Bryan.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.