White text on a red background

The message is meant to suggest breaking the metaphorical chains of conventional thinking or the traditional way of doing things. Each person who sees this button may have a different interpretation of what it means to “unchain yourself”, in that the button suggests seeking freedom from whatever it is a person feels is tying them down or keeping them from going their own way. 

Black and white image of a man's head and shoulders with red text along the top and bottom edge on white background

This button dates from President William McKinley's campaign for a second term in office in 1900. The colonies in question were those won in the Spanish American War, McKinley's greatest achievement while in office and the basis of his reelection campaign. The war began in 1898 with the explosion of the USS Maine, which was believed to have been orchestrated by Spain in retaliation for American attempts at helping Cuba (a Spanish colony) gain independence. Lasting for four months, the war was an American victory and Spain surrendered Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

McKinley, who believed that modern nations could only be strong if they had numerous colonies, ran for office in 1900 with the platform that by winning the war he had earned new colonies which would bring prosperity to the country. McKinley easily won the election, but was assassinated by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz in 1901 while on a cross-country tour.

White text on black background and black text on a white background

Robert F. Kennedy, a Democratic senator from New York and the brother of former president John F. Kennedy, ran for the US presidency in 1968. Running against Lyndon B. Johnson who was running for his second term in office, Kennedy's campaign platform included hopes for negotiating peace in Vietnam and Cuba, and increased civil rights. His work towards desegregation and support for the Civil Rights Movement won him the votes of racial minorities, who distributed buttons like this one to rally voters to his cause. Unfortunately, Kennedy's campaign for the presidency was cut short when he was assassinated on June 5, 1968, after which the Republican candidate Richard Nixon defeated the Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey.

Blue text on a grey background.

This is a campaign button for Gary Hart's run for U.S. President in 1984. With his slogan of "new ideas," Hart challenged former Vice President Walter Mondale for the Democratic nomination. Mondale countered that in part by using the Wendy's slogan "Where's the Beef?" to question Hart's ideas. Hart won primaries in New Hampshire, Ohio, and a few other states, but Mondale was elected the Democratic nominee at the convention in San Francisco in July.

Hart ran for president again in 1988, but his campaign was derailed after he was pictured with Donna Rice on the boat "Monkey Business." He suspended his run in September 1987. He rejoined the race in December 1987 but withdrew again after a poor showing on Super Tuesday in March 1988. Hart was U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1978-1987. He was appointed U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland in 2014.

Green text on a white background

The Connecticut Green Party is the Connecticut affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. The Green Party platform promotes, among other issues, social justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, and environmental concerns. Ralph Nader, a Connecticut native, ran as the Green Party candidate in the 2000 presidential election, going up against Republican (and eventual winner) George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. Nader, who won 97,421 votes, was considered by some to be a “spoiler” in the election—Bush beat Gore by 537 votes, and exit polls indicate that 38% of Nader voters would have voted for Gore. This button is most likely indicating the general sense of displeasure with the national government felt by Connecticut Green Party members in the years following the 2000 election.  

Green and white text on a green and white background

Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale were the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President in the 1976 United States Presidential election. Carter had previously served as the governor of Georgia from 1971-1975. Walter Mondale had served as a United States Senator, representing Minnesota from 1964-1976. Carter and Mondale defeated the Republican candidates, incumbent President Gerald Ford and his selection for Vice President, Bob Dole. Jimmy Carter was the first President elected who represented the Deep South since the 1848 Presidential election of Zachary Taylor.

Purple text on a white background with blue outer edge with white text

This button is most likely referring to Jerry Brown, a politician and lawyer from California. Brown, a liberal Democrat, has unsuccessfully run for President of the United States three times: in 1976, 1980, and 1992. In 1976, he lost to Jimmy Carter in the democratic primary, and in 1980 he unsuccessfully challenged Carter’s renomination. His 1992 campaign, with Rev. Jesse Jackson as a running mate, was arguably his most successful, however he lost the bid to Bill Clinton. There was some speculation that Brown would run for President a fourth time in 2016, however he stated publicly in 2014 that he had ruled out another presidential campaign. We The People—a reference to the preamble of the United States Constitution—is the name of a non-profit corporation formerly led by Brown, and was also the name of a political call-in radio show he hosted in the later 1990s on KPFA, a progressive Berkeley, California-based radio station.

Red around the outside edge with white text in it and an illustartion of an animal with antlers on a white background and a spinning arrow attached on top.

This button was designed as a game to determine who bought the next round of Jagermeister.  Jagermeister was created by Curt Mast in Wolfenbuttel, Germany, in 1935. The recipe was created with 56 herbs, blossoms, roots and fruits. The name Jagermeister (translated "hunt master") and the stag emblem was said to be in honor of the traditions of the region where the drink was created due to its frequent use as a post-hunt drink. 

See more innovative and unique buttons in action on the Busy Beaver blog.

Illustration of a small brown dog with short legs and a long body on an orange and yellow background with black text along the bottom edge.

The Dachsund dog, in its modern form, was created in Germany by breaders. It is part of the hound family. These dogs were originally bred for hunting, in particular for trailing scent, chase and flushing out burrow dwelling animals.

This button is part of a larger set of 35 buttons, each with an illustration of a different dog breed. The were originally sold on a 6” x 9” cardboard sheet.

White text on a blue background with red stars across the top

United States Representative Allyson Schwartz, of Pennsylvania, ran for a seat in the United States Senate in 2000. She lost in the Democratic primary to Ron Klink, who won 41 percent of the vote.

Schwartz began her career in politics as as a Pennsylvania State Senator. In 1992, she created the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which received national recognition and was used as a national model. After losing the Senate primary in 2000, Schwartz successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district. She served in the House from 2005 to 2015 and, once elected, she created legislation that gave a tax credit to businesses that hired veterans. In 2014, she unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Pennsylvania.