Objects for president! : campaign material culture and populist politics, 1828-1848
Date
2013
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The political, social, and technological evolutions of the second quarter of the nineteenth century sparked an explosion of campaign material culture. Objects made to show support for presidential candidates came in a variety of forms for public, domestic, and private use. Public and domestic campaign material culture blurred social lines as the political world engulfed men and women, young and old, voters and non-voters alike. Across the country, Americans made a commitment to the party by choosing to produce and purchase objects promoting the campaign. Political material culture demonstrates the extent of populist politics in the everyday lives of the American people. Campaign objects were physical markers of personal identity in a world of partisan politics. This study investigates the origins, forms, and impact of campaign material culture in the populist politics of the Jacksonian Era. It combines analysis of contemporary newspaper advertisements and diaries with a catalog of nearly 100 political objects now in collections of museums, historical societies, libraries, and universities. This catalog of campaign objects is just a sample of the wide variety of politicallythemed public and domestic objects inspired by populist politics and which, in turn, increased enthusiasm in the campaign.