White text on a blue background stylized so that the  letter "I" appears to be a drum stick

Vic Firth, a percussionist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was unhappy with the quality of sticks available to him in the early 1960s. He began to craft his own drumsticks to suit his needs, by whittling wood or using a wood turner. Word spread, and the craft shop that he started in his garage has grown into a company with over 200 varieties of drumsticks to suit an individual percussionists’ needs.

Blue litho photograph of Len Small in the center on a white background surrounded by white text on a red rim on the top and a blue rim on the bottom

Jim Ridings, author of Len Small: Governors and Gangsters, states in the summary of his book that Lennington “Len” Small was the “most corrupt politician in Illinois history.” Ridings’ work is the only book on Small, the 26th governor of Illinois (1921-1929). Six months after becoming governor, Small was accused of embezzling state funds while he was the Illinois Treasurer from 1905 to 1907. There has been reason to believe that Small was in business with famed American gangster Al Capone, as Capone may have played a part in jury tampering during Small’s embezzlement trial. Small was acquitted, though eight of the jurors were suspiciously given state positions following the end of the trial. Throughout his time as governor, Small pardoned over 1,000 convicted felons and several members of the Communist Labor Party of America. Small was re-elected for a second term as governor with help from the Ku Klux Klan after allowing them to hold rallies on state fairgrounds. In 1928, Small lost the Republican primary for governor; he died in 1936. 

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Red outer band on top with aged white text and blue outer band on bottom with aged white text. Blue background with aged white stars, and red and aged white stripes in center, overlaid with three circles with black and aged white images of soldiers and black text. Tattered red, white, and blue ribbon at bottom of button.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday recognized in the United States on the last Monday of May since 1868. It's a day to honor those in the military who have died in the line of duty. One way to express thankfulness and respect is by placing flowers or flags on their gravestones and remembering the past wars in which they fought. The dates on this button are significant: In 1861 a confederate nation was formed in the United States setting off the Civil War. The Spanish-American lasted several months in 1898. And in 1917, the United States joined as allies in World War I. 

Red outer band with cream text and a cream center with red text and a thin cream line around the outer rim

According to the organization’s website, the South Dakota State Society (SDSS) is a 501(c)4 non-profit organization “designed to provide a social and professional network for South Dakotans, their friends and families living, working and attending school in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” The SDSS was created for both native and adopted South Dakotans in the greater Washington metropolitan area to “share their common bond” and the “spirit” of the state of South Dakota. Many members sported membership buttons such as this one housed at the Button Museum. The SDSS became inactive in 1982 but then saw a revival in 2008. The group hosts an annual “Midwest Inaugural Gala” in January of each year at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. The SDSS hosts this gala alongside the State Society of Iowa.

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Michael Bilandic was the acting Democratic mayor of Chicago after the death of Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1976. He ran for reelection and won, retaining his role as mayor in 1977. Bilandic was not nominated in the primary of the following election due to a number of issues, but cited chief amongst them was his poor handling of public transportation access in the wake of a massive snowstorm in 1979. While little information is accessible about whether Bilandic’s campaign had direct outreach to Latino voters, historically Bilandic and his predecessor did little outreach in general to Chicago’s Latino community, and it wasn’t until the election of Mayor Harold Washington that more direct outreach to Latino and Black voters was made.

Purple text and a small, purple bird on a cream colored background

Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the United States, serving one term from 1977 to 1981. The ‘Georgia Mafia’ was a term associated with Carter’s closest advisors during his presidency. Originally applied in a somewhat lighthearted way by Carter’s own supporters, including the Peanut Brigade (a group of Carter’s campaign volunteers hailing from Georgia), the term eventually became used as an insult thrown at the Carter administration in regard to his close-knit group of aides who some saw as inexperienced and who others saw as secretive or even corrupt. 

The so-called Georgia Mafia was made up of many of Carter’s allies from his gubernatorial administration, including Hamilton Jordan as the White House Chief of Staff and Bert Lance as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, among others, and as a group were widely critiqued by establishment Democrats for their grassroots backgrounds and what some saw as a lack of political experience. The term also became one of disparagement utilized by conservative groups and others, such as the American Agriculture Movement, to point to corruption surrounding the Carter administration and their involvement with Lancegate (President Carter’s presence at the office of Lew. Jenkins in 1975 where aide, Bert Lance, was being approved for a substantial personal loan, considered suspicious and a conflict of interest by Carter’s opponents) as well as gaining traction in response to the 1977 Farm Bill and the American Agriculture Movement’s 1977 protest, “Tractorcade,” that descended on President Carter’s hometown in Georgia. 

The phrase ‘Dump the Georgia Mafia’ was popularized in the late 1970s by critics and opponents of Jimmy Carter, with myriad merchandise of the same sentiment being created by organizations such as the American Agriculture Movement, who released several bumper stickers and pinback buttons addressing the Carter administration throughout the height of their activity. The phrase is thought to have originated as an echo of prior political condemnations against the Nixon administration’s ‘Southern Mafia’ but with a conservative anti-Carter sentiment. Perhaps hailing from the GOP or other conservative groups, similar merchandise can be found from the same era calling to ‘Impeach’ or “Dump Carter,” along with various other slogans and criticisms.

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Red text designed to look like a pair of puckered lips on a white background

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Illustration of a brown beaver wearing an orange coat and hat on a green background with white text around the rim

In the 1950s, Bertie Beaver was created by Walt Disney Studios as a companion to Smokey the Bear. In 1958, it was given as a gift to the Alberta Forest Service department after the company made a few documentaries there, and was used to raise public awareness of local fire prevention programs. The image of Bertie Beaver has been used on aircrafts, murals, posters, maps, signs, and buttons. There has even been a plush toy and puppet made of the character. 

The mascot suit of Bertie Beaver at the Canadian Prarie Forest Park was worn by Gladys Stevens, the wife of the Smokey the Bear suit wearer, Greg Stevens. Together they educated children and their parents on forest conservation, appearing before more than 600,000 people.