Blue illustration of a bird on a red background with white text over it and an outer white ring

National Recovery Administration (NRA) member buttons featuring a blue eagle were given to businesses and corporations that supported the New Deal initiative. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the National Recovery Administration in 1933 as a way to stimulate business recovery in the aftermath of the Great Depression. The main purpose of the program was to create codes of “fair practices” across industry, labor and government institutions. It sought to set minimum prices at which products could be sold and help workers by setting minimum wages and maximum weekly hours. The law that created the NRA, the National Industrial Recovery Act, was found unconstitutional in 1935 and the NRA had to stop all operations. The NFL football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, got its name as a way to recognize the NRA in 1933.

Blue illustration of a bird with red text on a white background

National Recovery Administration (NRA) consumer buttons featuring a blue eagle were given to individuals that supported businesses and corporations that embraced the New Deal initiative. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the National Recovery Administration in 1933 as a way to stimulate business recovery in the aftermath of the Great Depression. The main purpose of the program was to create codes of “fair practices” across industry, labor and government institutions. It sought to set minimum prices at which products could be sold and help workers by setting minimum wages and maximum weekly hours. The law that created the NRA, the National Industrial Recovery Act, was found unconstitutional in 1935 and the NRA had to stop all operations. The NFL football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, got its name as a way to recognize the NRA in 1933.

Illustration of the comic book character Archie on a white background with black text above and orange and blue text below on a white background with a blue outer edge

The Archie Club was the fan club for Archie Comics, which began in the 1930s and continues today. This particular button was sent to new members after signing up so they could display their new status. This design was used from 1950-1971. 

Illustration of yellow classic car on an orange background.  Bottom portion of button is a yellow and black checker pattern.  Red and white text.

Die Cast Machine Tools Ltd was a British company that manufactured toys for children under the brand Lone Star Products Ltd beginning in 1939. They produced toy soldiers and other figurines, as well as toy cars, trains, and planes for decades. Lone Star came out with their "Flyer" series of toy cars in 1968 which came with faster wheels than the previous cars made by the company. These toy cars were sold in the "Flyway Set" which came with a track, Flyer car, and a button. The plant that manufactured these toys closed down in the late 1980s.

Blue text inside a red circle on a white background.

The Beatles were a 1960s English rock band from Liverpool comprised of four childhood friends: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. This quartet took the music world by storm with their unconventional sound of rock, skiffle, and pop, which gained them international fame. Their first album entitled "Please Please Me" which debuted in 1963 climbed to the top of the charts and received musical acclaim from Rolling Stone magazine as being one of the greatest albums of all-time. However, that was only the beginning of their success. They continued to make great music and release iconic hits, such as "Love Me Do" and "Hey Jude."

Red button with black text and two skinny black lines. 

Labor unions became increasingly popular in the United States during and after the Great Depression and Second World War, and the state of Wisconsin was regularly one of the most unionized states by percentage. Wisconsin employers often resisted union demands, which led to a period of prolonged strikes beginning in 1947 and lasting until 1960.

Independent unions are those not affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) or the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The color red is traditionally associated with socialism and Communism. Unions, by nature socialist, adopted the color; that would be used against them during the era of national panic over Communism, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, during the Cold War.

It is possible that this button was part of a strike in summer 1947.

Black illustration of an Aztec eagle on a red background

The Aztec eagle is the symbol of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union, which works to support the rights of farm workers. The UFW (originally the National Farm Workers Association) was co-founded by civil rights activist Cesar Chavez and women’s rights activist Dolores Huerta in 1962. In the 1970s, the UFW became the recognized bargaining agent for approximately 50,000 farm workers and gained national support.

Red border with white text around top and bottom, black-and-white tree illustration on white background in center. 

The Texas Farm Workers Union (TFWU) was established in 1975 by Antonio Orendain, who had previously worked with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers (UFW), organizing laborers for the national grape and lettuce boycotts. Unlike Chavez's efforts in California, TFWU was unsuccessful in persuading the state of Texas to establish a Texas Agricultural Board. In February 1977, TFWU members marched from San Juan, Texas to the state capital building in Austin, Texas, arriving on April 2, 1977 after covering over 400 miles. Later that year, Orendain led 40 workers on a 1600-mile march from Austin to Washington, DC, which took nearly four months. Orendain and the Texas Farm Workers Union never gained much support from the United Farm Workers, and with little funding, the union was defunct by the mid-1980s. 

Yellow female symbol with a black Aztec eagle in the center and black text underneath on a red background

The United Farm Workers (UFW) union works to support the rights of farm workers. The UFW (originally the National Farm Workers Association) was co-founded by civil rights activist Cesar Chavez and women’s rights activist Dolores Huerta in 1962. In the 1970s, the UFW became the recognized bargaining agent for approximately 50,000 farm workers and gained national support.  The Aztec eagle on the button is the symbol of the UFW.  The Venus symbol represents the female gender, and the phrase, “Viva La Mujer” translates to Long Live the Woman.

White button with black text and a black and white photograph in the center.

This button was made by the United Farm Workers, a union of Filipino and Mexican American farm workers, in the 1970s. The United Farm Workers were led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and won the right to organize farm workers after the Delano grape boycott in 1965-1970. The words Viva La Huelga, meaning long live the strike, are the rallying cry of the United Farm Workers. 

The picture is of Emiliano Zapata, a leader of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Zapata called for a redistribution of land and is remembered in Mexico today as a supporter of peasants and Native Americans. He became a central symbol of the United Farm Workers and the Delano Grape Boycott.