Yellow gold button with black lettering. 

The Immoral Minority was created to oppose the Moral Majority. The Moral Majority was formed in 1979 by Jerry Falwell, and supported Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. The Moral Majority wanted prayers in schools, a ban on abortion, and an end to Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) with the Soviet Union. They also opposed the ERA. By calling themselves the Moral Majority, they made their opposition the Immoral Minority, a name which some liberals seized with pride. A group formed in Olympia, Washington who called themselves the Immoral Minority. They used humor to combat some of the policies of the Moral Majority.  November 4, 1980 was the presidential election where Reagan was elected for the first time.

Teal and White button with white lettering on the top half and on the bottom half an image of stripes and the statue of liberty appears. 

In the 1960s, the pro-choice movement became a major political movement in the United States. Pro-choice supporters believe that women have the right to terminate a pregnancy and legally have an abortion. Abortion became legal in the United States after the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in the landmark case, Roe v. Wade. Since that time, the issue has remained relevant as the pro-life movement, which advocates for the right to life for unborn babies, seeks to overturn this decision and make abortion illegal. The platform of Democratic Party has aligned with abortion-rights advocates, and a number of different organizations support the cause, as well.

Yellow gold button with black and red text. 

The death of God is a concept taken from the 19th century German philosopher Neitche, who meant that God was no longer a valid source of morality. In the 1960s this idea evolved into the death of God theology, which argues that the concept of God is no longer relevant in our secular world. Supporters believe that Christianity should become a philosophy of love based in Jesus's teachings. This button plays on the concept of the death of God. It also references the conspiracy theory that Hitler did not die, but fled to Argentina, as many other Nazis did after WWII. It satirizes both conspiracy theorists and Christians, by implying that God being alive is a conspiracy theory.

White button with black text and the image of Africa. Namibia is highlighted in red on the illustration. 

Namibia was a former German territory (formerly named South West Africa) that was placed under South African control after the end of World War I. At the end of the Second World War, many indigenous people in Africa sought to gain independence from colonial powers. Freedom leaders in Namibia petitioned the United Nations to revoke the colonial power of South Africa, claiming that the South African government abused its power. In 1966, the U.N. revoked South African sovereignty over Namibia, yet South Africa refused to recognize this mandate. A series of guerilla attacks occurred between South African and Namibian forces. The Namibian War for Independence ended in 1988, with the help of Western intervention. Namibia held elections in 1990 and has maintained independence since then.

Green button with white text.

The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed to guarantee equal rights for women in both 1923 and 1972. The ERA passed Congress and was proposed for ratification on March 22, 1972 with a seven year deadline for ratification. As the deadline approached advocates protested for an extension and, as a result of these protests, Congress moved the deadline to June 30, 1982. The ERA fell three states short of ratification by the extended deadline.

The top half of the button is yellow with orange text and the bottom half is orange with yellow text.

White button with black text. The Shell logo is in the background.

The Boycott Shell movement was part of anti-apartheid movement started in 1987 by organizations in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Apartheid was a South African policy that discriminated against black citizens based on race. Shell was a main target of this movement because it provided fuel to the South African military and police, who maintained the apartheid. According to the boycotters, the South African government could not maintain the apartheid without companies like Shell, because it did not have its own oil supply. As the boycott continued, local groups picketed Shell stations throughout Great Britain, causing Shell’s share of the U.K. market to fall by 6.6%. The apartheid in South Africa officially ended in 1994.

Blue button with black panther in the center. 

In 1966 Huey Newton and Bobby Seale formed a Black Power, Socialist organization in Oakland, California. They called their group the Black Panther Party and their symbol was a pouncing black panther. Members organized armed patrols to monitor the police and cut down on police brutality. They also established and ran free breakfast programs for school children. This button was not actually used by the Black Panthers, although the panther looks like the panther on many of their buttons. It was made for the movie Born on the 4th of July (1989) to be worn by actors in a protest scene. Born on the 4th of July is based on the autobiography of Vietnam veteran Ron Kovak who was paralyzed in the Vietnam War and, after returning home, became an antiwar activist.

White and pink text on a black button.

Apartheid was a system of complete racial segregation in South Africa from 1948-1994, which allowed the white minority to maintain control. Black South Africans were forced to carry special documents to enter restricted areas and, in 1970, they lost the right to vote. Some American businesses began to cut off trade with and investment in South African businesses in the mid 1970s. In the 1980s images of the struggles to end Apartheid in South Africa influenced many Americans to protest and demand economic boycotts of South Africa. There were protests on College campuses in the United States to divest from South Africa and in 1986 a bill came before Congress for the same purpose. Reagan vetoed the bill, but the Senate overrode his veto.

The Churches' Emergency Committee on Southern Africa (C.E.C.S.A.) was formed in 1986 and asked banks with loans to South Africa not to renew them as a way of protesting apartheid. They also lobbied the U.S. government to place economic sanctions on South Africa. This button was a part of their efforts.

Navy blue text and blue stars around it on a gold background

Adlai Stevenson II ran for President in 1952 and 1956 and lost to President Eisenhower both times. This button was made for the 1960 presidential primary and was given out at voting drives and political conventions. Stevenson refused to campaign for the nomination a third time, but announced that he would accept if the Democratic Party offered it to him. He had many supporters who campaigned for him, including Eleanor Roosevelt, but he lost to John F. Kennedy in the primary.