Off-white background with stylized red text and a black and white photograph of George Washington

Prior to the advent of railways in America, canals were used to transport goods and passengers. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, chartered by president James Monroe in 1825, spanned from Georgetown, Washington D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland. Teams of mules worked the towpath along the banks of the river, pulling boats behind them. The canal ceased operations in 1924 and has since been turned into a recreational walking path.

Off-white background and brown text and brown filagree along the rim with a sepia-toned photograph center. The photograph features a man sitting on top of a horse-drawn carriage that is emerging from an arched stone door. 

The Goodwill Steam and Chemical Fire Company No. 5 went through several name changes since its founding in 1839. First founded in Freystown, Pennsylvania, the company was named the Springgarden Active Fire Company. At this time, firefighters used a hand-operated fire engine, which had to be manually supplied with buckets of water. In 1852, the company changed its name to the Good Will Fire Company No. 1 of Freystown. The fire company received its first steam fire engine from the Silsby Manufacturing Company in March of 1888. After Freystown was annexed into the city of York, the fire company changed its name for the final time in 1901 to the Goodwill Steam and Chemical Fire Company No. 5. The company moved into the "motorized era" in 1915 with its addition of a motorized fire engine with a "combination chemical and hose apparatus." The demolition of the company’s second house in Freystown started in October 1902; however, as of 2024, the bigger firehouse built on the same lot in 1903 is still occupied and used by the company.

Blue and white text on top of a design that implies a United States flag: red and white horizontal stripes, a blue triangle in the top left corner, and nine white stars are evenly distributed on the top two red stripes. 

Dating back as far as 1940, the satirical Vote for Nobody campaign was popularized in the 1960s by humor columnist Arthur Hoppe. The campaign really hit its stride in 1976 thanks to political activists Wavy Gravy and Curtis Spangler, who declared that "Nobody" belonged to the Birthday Party and that it had a dinner roll as a running mate—gaining the attention of the masses. With Spangler as its campaign manager, Nobody hit the road for a cross-country tour, appearing in a motorcade as an empty chair in an empty car or as a pair of wind-up teeth that would chatter when questioned.

The Vote for Nobody campaign still continues today, and helps to advocate for a “None of the Above” option to be included on ballots.

Illustration of a girl with short red hair with glasses wearing a pink sweater and orange skirt on a yellow background with black text

Marty Links, born in 1917, was a cartoonist and fashion illustrator best known for the syndicated comic strip Emmy Lou (originally titled Bobby Sox), which ran from 1944 to 1979. She was a pioneer in a field largely dominated by men, chronicling the lives of teenage girls through cartoon. Links also worked for Hallmark as a greeting card illustrator and merchandise designer. She developed a series of characters known as Kidlinks, of which Tootie is one, before retiring in 2000. Links passed away in 2008. 

Black text on a bright green background. 

In August 1964, U.S. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered bombing raids on North Vietnam naval installations following an alleged attack from North Vietnamese gunboats in the Gulf of Tonkin. In a televised address, Johnson stated that the military response would be “limited and fitting,” promising, “we still seek no wider war.” The Gulf of Tonkin resolution was swiftly passed, allowing for “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent any further aggression.” This granted Johnson the power to enact war in Vietnam without a formal congressional declaration. In November 1964, Johnson won the presidential election in a landslide.

Johnson had already approved a secret bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in May of 1964, and in February 1965, he ordered Operation Rolling Thunder. This series of bombing raids, partially responding to a Viet Cong attack on a U.S. air base, were intended to cut supply lines and commenced until October 1968. The U.S. presence in Vietnam steadily increased and peaked at roughly 550,000 military personnel in 1968. Antiwar sentiment spread in America, becoming more popular in 1967. Dissent towards the president included a protest song by Phil Ochs titled “No Wider War.” 

Line illustration of a turkey inside a red circle wearing a badge on its neck; black text above and below the turkey. 

In 1984, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) labor union announced a boycott of the Marval Poultry Company Inc., a major turkey processing plant located in Dayton, Virginia. This was in response to numerous lawsuits involving food quality and labor laws being violated throughout the early 1980s. The company invested in automation, which ultimately led to a 20% loss in employment in favor of increased profits. This was followed by demands for increasing production, resulting in workplace injuries. Roughly 800 of the plant's workers walked off and proceeded to have a six-week strike due to the unbearable working conditions. The strike negatively impacted Marval's image and the company began experiencing financial challenges. The “P-18”, around the turkey’s collar, was an indicator that they were supplied by Marval Poultry Company. Shady Brook Farms, another major turkey processing distributor and competitor of Marvel Poultry Company at the time, supported the boycott.

Blue and red text on a white background; the letter "A" in the word "AM" has a white star with red and white wavy lines designed to emulate the US flag; a blue "P" logo is placed below the text. 

On April 5, 1992, over 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., for the March for Women's Lives, organized by the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). The rally came as a response to Planned Parenthood v. Casey, where the Supreme Court would consider a Pennsylvania law that restricted abortion access. Reproductive rights advocates were concerned about the impact that the decision would have on Roe v. Wade, and feared the conservative leaning justices would attempt to overthrow the 1973 ruling. This button — distributed by Planned Parenthood and likely designed for this event — is part of a larger merchandise collection from the 1990s that includes shirts, posters, and more. 

Planned Parenthood has played a crucial role in the fight for reproductive rights in the United States. The organization attributes its founding to Margaret Sanger, a nurse who started the first ever birth control clinic in 1916. The clinic in Brooklyn was quickly shut down by New York Police, but Sanger's fight for reproductive rights was only just starting. In 1923, Sanger founded the Birth Control Research Bureau of Manhattan and the American Birth Control League, which would eventually merge to become the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. By the 1970s, the role of women in public life was evolving, and the pro-choice abortion movement gained newfound momentum. In 1970, Planned Parenthood opened its first health clinic offering abortion services in Syracuse, NY. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which is a 501(c)(4) organization, was founded in 1989 by the Planned Parenthood Federation and is likely the source of the merchandise collection that this button came from.

Illustrated scene of nine people sitting in chairs around the walls of a room all watching the center of the room where a horned ram is head butting a man from behind; black text is placed above and below the scene. 

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