White text and illustrations of hands cleaning and painting on a blue background

This button is most likely related to two documentary film shorts released in 1953 and 1954 called The House in the Middle, which showed the effects of a nuclear bomb test on three small houses. The houses on the left and right are run down and poorly maintained, but the house in the middle is clean, freshly-painted, and well-kept. The middle house survives the attack, while the more rundown houses do not. The 1953 version of the film was created by the Federal Civil Defense Administration (which created a nationwide plan for fallout shelters) to show that taking care of your house could help protect you from a nuclear bomb dropped by the Soviet Union.

The 1954 version of the film was released in color by the National Clean Up – Paint Up – Fix Up Bureau, which was created by the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association. This version of the film was geared more toward marketing paint than protection against bombs. 

Illustration of a person behind a red banner with white text over a white banner with red text

The National Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up Campaign was created in the 1920s by the National Paint, Varnish, and Lacquer Association to simply sell paint. Cities throughout the United States held “Clean Up, Paint Up, Fix Up” weeks. During these weeks, citizens were enlisted to improve their neighborhoods by picking up litter, painting houses and fences, planting flowers, and performing any other tasks that would improve the aesthetic of the communities. 

However, the campaign took a fascinating turn during the Cold War. In the 1950s, the unincorporated organization known as The National Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up Bureau, in cooperation with the Federal Civil Defense Administration, made a short propaganda film titled The House in the Middle. The film implores U.S. citizens to keep their homes tidy, freshly painted, and free of litter. The film’s narrator explains that keeping a tidy home and community will protect them from an atomic bomb. Here is a link to the film: https://youtu.be/pGJcwaUWNZg?si=gSkUx-tNL12e2Hm1

Illustration of a yellow book with purple text in the center surrounded by five circles with illustrations of children in them interspersed with pinkish stars on a purple background

This button comes from the Pizza Hut Book It! Program that was established in 1984 after President Ronald Reagan urged American corporations to get involved in education. The first button for the program debuted in 1985 and the program received a commendation from the White House in 1987. In 1989, Pizza Hut worked with the Library of Congress to help establish National Young Readers Day. The program encourages children to read by “rewarding their reading accomplishments with praise, recognition and pizza.” The program currently reaches over 14 million students in 38,000 elementary schools every year.

This button features the characters Holly (with long dark hair) and Penny (with short yellow hair).

Illustration of a bicycle over white text on a green background

This button promotes following general bicycling safety rules, but also the common concept that “riding right begins with riding on the right”. The specific law, which is the same in most states, says that people who ride bikes must ride as close to the right side of the road as safely practicable except when passing, preparing for a left turn, avoiding hazards, if the lane is too narrow to share, or if approaching a place where a right turn is authorized. 

Red and orange text on a blue stripe across an orange and red background

Armenian Power refers to citizens or residents of the United States who have a total or partical Armenian ancestry. They are the second largest community in the Armenian diaspora after the Armenians in Russia. Armenians began to immigrate to the U.S. in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The first great Armenian migration to American began in the 1890s.There was a second wave of immigrates after 1920, along with a third wave to America following WWII. There is an estimated 700,000 Americans of Armenian acestry. 

Illustration of a woman's head and shoulders on a greenish background color with white and black text

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who take injustice personally. They campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. They investigate and expose facts about abuse on human rights. Against Silence concerns violence against women. Their goal is to change perceptions by bringing human rights scandals concerning domestic violence into the full light and make sure people speak out, stand up, and take action. 

Illustration of a child carrying a basket with a black cat in it holding a red leash walking a dog on a white background with black text

This button comes from Bideawee, which has been the leading pet welfare organization serving New York City and Long Island for over 100 years. They offer many services to help people and their pets, including facilitating pet adoptions. The people who work at Bideawee adoption centers are called matchmakers and spend plenty of time getting to know people in order to pair them with the perfect pet.

Blue text on a blue background

This button is most likely related to the campaign to abolish the national holiday of Mother’s Day. In 1908, Anna Jarvis spearheaded the first Mother’s Day events to honor her own mother who was a Sunday school teacher and took care of wounded soldiers during the Civil War. She then campaigned for the holiday to become official and in 1914, Congress made it so. The floral and greeting card industries quickly took advantage of the commercial possibilities of the holiday and by 1920, Jarvis was disgusted by all manufacturers profiting from the holiday. She spent the rest of her life going door-to-door getting people to sign petitions to try and abolish the holiday she founded.

White text on a red circle with a white then a blue ring around it

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Black and white photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt wearing a suit.

Franklin Roosevelt served as President of the U.S. from 1933 -1945. During this time, he led the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II. He also expanded the powers of the federal government through a series of programs known as the New Deal. Roosevelt was the only president to ever be elected four times