Illustration of an upside down red car shaped like a Volkswagen bug over blue text on a white background

The acronym on this button stands for “Stay Off Booze, Enjoy the Road”, but the SOBER acronym is also commonly seen as “slow on the bottle, enjoy the road”. The acronym is used to encourage drivers to not drink and drive; that it is safer to not have any alcohol at all when planning to drive. The upside down car on the button is meant to indicate a car wreck. According to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the risk of a driver under the influence of alcohol being killed in a vehicle accident is at least eleven times that of drivers without alcohol in their system.

Red text on a white background

In 1967 on October 21, thousands protested the war in Vietnam. Nearly 100,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. and more than 50,000 of the protesters marched to the Pentagon to ask to end the conflict. There were rallies and riots as the protesters marched to the Pentagon. Of these protesters 682 people were arrested. Many of these protesters carried signs to demonstrate. One such phrase found on some of the signs was “Save lives, not face.”

Illustration of a white dove on a dark blue background

The dove is commonly used as a symbol for peace, but it can also represent love. The dove appears throughout different religions, such as Paganism, Judaism, and Christianity. Doves are also associated with pacifism, or the opposition to war, militarism, or violence. The image of the white dove is portrayed in different designs and styles. For instance, Picasso’s La Colombe (The Dove) is made up of a white dove holding an olive branch. Picasso’s work was chosen as the emblem for the World Peace Congress in Paris in April 1949. 

Blue text and illustration of a three dimensional box with squiggly lines on either side on a purple background

This slogan is most commonly associated with the psychedelic drug LSD, but it is unknown where the quote actually originated. LSD played an important part in the 1960s counterculture movement. As use spread from research projects at universities to the street, LSD was credited with expanding the minds of young people who were disillusioned with the status quo.  One of the most well-known proponents of LSD was Dr. Timothy Leary, a Harvard psychology professor who believed that psychedelic drugs could treat a host of mental illnesses. Another figure closely associated with the drug was author Ken Kesey, who traveled the country with his friends (known as The Merry Pranksters) on a school bus as part of a social experiment.

Black text on a white background with a black and white portrait of a man with a mustache

Chaim Weizmann was a Zionist leader and an Israeli statesman who served as the first president of Israel. He was elected in February 1949 and served until his death in 1952. During his presidency, Weizmann convinced to United States to officially recognize Israel as a newly formed state. Before his political career began, Weizmann was a biochemist who developed the acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation process, which was used by British industries during World War I.

Black text on bright orange background with black outer edge

On November 7, 1977 the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charged the University of Pennsylvania in unfair labor practices concerning campus housekeeping. According to the NLRB, “the University tried to keep the Teamsters Union off campus, fired the workers largely for joining the Teamsters, and failed to bargain with the union in good faith” (Marquez, 1977, p.1). Approximately 200 people attended a meeting to develop a proposal of ideas, and concluded with a rally across campus. The protesters supported the 343 housekeepers who were fired by the University on August 4^th and were “replaced with workers from outside maintenance firms” (Marquez, 1977, p. 1).   

Marquez, Steven A. (1977, November 7). NLRB opinion charges U. with labor law violation. The Daily Pennsylvanian, p. 1. Retrieved from http://www.library.upenn.edu/docs/kislak/dp/1977/1977_11_07.pdf. 

Green text on a yellow background with an illustration of a marijuana leaf in the center.

Proposition 19, also known as the California Marijuana Initiative (CMI), was a ballot initiative on the November 7, 1972 statewide ballot. The official advocacy group for the initiative was “Yes on 19.” If passed, it would have revised California’s laws about marijuana, and would have made it so that no person 18 years of age or older could be punished in any way for growing, processing, transporting, or possessing marijuana. The initiative was defeated by 66.5%, with only 33.5% Yes votes. Supporters argued that the initiative would decriminalization personal use activities, but not legalize marijuana or encourage sales or use. 

White text on an orange background

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A devoutly anti-communist fundamentalist group, the American Council of Christian Churches, produced this button in 1959 at the height of America's fear of communism. The group handed the buttons out at a rally held in Connie Mack Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team until 1970.

The rally was organized in protest of Soviet statesman Nikita Khrushchev's controversial visit to the United States. Rally co-organizers included the American-Hungarian Federation, American Friends of the Anti-Bolshevik Block of Nations, and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. At the time, each of these groups was known for its anti-communist stance.

White text with red outlines and white lightening bolts coming out of the top and bottom on a blue background

The Whitehead and Hoag Company was founded by Chester Hoag and Benjamin Whitehead in 1892 with a focus on the manufacturing of advertising novelties. In time, the company expanded from ribbon badges to their patented pinback button. "United", a concept of like mindedness, is a brief statement button representative of labor unions.