Red text on a white stripe across a blue background with white text on the bottom

George Corley Wallace, Jr. is a former governor, 4 time presidential candidate, and First Gentleman of Alabama. Serving four terms as Governor of Alabama, Wallace holds the record for most days served as governor in American history. Known for his populist views, originally Wallace supported segregation, but later changed his position and supported its disillusion.

After serving one term as governor of Alabama, Wallace ran for president in 1964, but lost the Democratic bid to Lyndon B. Johnson. Because of term limits, his was unable to seek a second term as governor in 1966, however his wife Lurleen Burns Wallace successfully ran instead. Wallace was influential during his wife's governorship, with many feeling she was just a proxy for him. Wallace ran for president again in 1968 as an independent and lost to Richard Nixon. In 1970, he sucessfully ran for his second term as governer of Alabama, but that did not stop him from running for president again in 1972—once again as a democrat. On May 15, 1972, Wallace was the victim of an assassination attempt that left him paralyzed. Wallace remained in politics after the assasination attempt, running for president a fourth time in 1976 and serving one more term as governer of Alabama in 1982. Following his 1982 gubernatorial term, Wallace retired from politics. 

Photograph of a man's head in brown and light brown in the center of the button with brown text around the outer edges on a light brown background

Harvey Milk was an iconic lesbian and gay rights activist, and the first openly gay elected government official in California. He was known for his dedication to the advancement of lesbian and gay rights and his theatrical campaign strategies. He was famous in rallying support from the gay community using his soap-box and bullhorn. During his campaign for the mayoral election, he would march with thousands of people through the city of San Francisco, chanting his slogan “My name is Harvey Milk and I’m here to recruit you." Milk was assassinated  in 1978 by Dan White, a resigned city supervisor trying to get his job back. 

The quote on the button "I Am All Of Us" was from a poem he had written during the height of his fight against the Briggs initiative, which, sponsored by John Briggs, would have banned gays and anyone supporting gay rights to work in California's public schools. The poem reads:

I can be killed with ease/I can be cut right down/But I can not fall back to my closet/I have grown/I am not by myself/I am too many/I am all of us

Black text and a black and white illustration of a man's head and shoulders in the upper left corner and a leaves on a branch across the bottom

Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978)—a politician, gay rights activist, and  cultural icon—became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California when he won the seat on San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978. He fashioned himself as mayor of Castro Street, a neighborhood in Eureka Valley in San Francisco, California and one of the first and most lively gay neighborhoods in the United States. During his 11-month tenure, he helped pass a stringent gay rights ordinance for the city. Milk’s theatrical political campaigns and his fervent activism for gay people since 1973 earned him popularity within the gay community and made him an icon for the gay rights movement. Milk was assassinated  in 1978 by Dan White, a resigned city supervisor trying to get his job back. 

Milk envisioned a march for lesbian and gay rights in the US capitol to increase the visibility of the gay and lesbian community during his lifetime. His death accelerated the planning for the national march in 1979. The quote “Rights are not won on paper; they are won only by those who make their voices heard” was the ending of Milk’s address made at the San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Rally in 1978. The March Committee of Lesbian and Gay Rights later adopted this quote on the iconic “Liberty Logo” to represent the march and commemorate Milk and his contribution to the advancement of lesbian and gay rights.

An image of a man's head and upper torso appears before a white background. On either side, as well as slightly above and below, the button is framed in red. At the near bottom appears a white band with text in blue. 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt ("FDR"), a Democrat, was the 32nd President of the United States. He won a record four presidential elections (before the law was changed to limit terms in office to two), serving from 1932 until his death in April 1945. It is unclear for which presidential campaign this particular button is representative, but since FDR's popularity reached its height during World War II (1940-1945), it is probable that it was in support of either his third or fourth. 

Black text on a gold background

In 1948, singer/songwriter Willie Nile (Robert Anthony Noonan) was born. In 1980, Nile released his debut album which was very successful. In 1981, Nile released his second album, Golden Down, though it was not as well-received as his first album. Shortly thereafter Nile faced legal problems that kept him from touring and recording new albums. By 1988, he was back in the studio, and his most recent releases are a studio album in 2014, and a live album in 2015. 

Illustration of an open book with black text and an outline of a gun on top of a red star with a white banner below on a yellow background with an outer black edge

In 1982 The Clash released their single "Know Your Rights" three weeks before the release of their album Combat Rock.  The song's main theme is the rights of the less fortunate in society.  Combat Rock would become a two time platinum record.  The Clash were a British punk rock band formed in 1976, and released their final album in 1985.  

Illustration of a boom box with a white banner with black text coming out of it on top of a red star with a grey circle behind it with a black then orange then black outer ring.

In 1982 the English rock band The Clash released their biggest hit, Rock the Casbah. The song, which was inspired by Iran's ban on Western music after the 1979 Revolution, was about a king who bans rock music only for his orders to be defied by pilots who play the music above the city. The famous first lines of the song are featured on the button, “The king told the boogie-men / You have to let that raga drop”. Rock the Casbah was a hit song in the United States, Europe, and Australia, and has been covered by countless other artists and continues to be regarded as a classic rock song.

Illustration of a mouth with a tongue sticking out

This button depicts the design created by artist John Pasche used for promotional purposes for the band The Rolling Stones, including the 1971 record Sticky Fingers.  John Pasche worked with The Rolling Stones between the years of 1970 and 1974 and created four tour posters.  Lead singer of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger originally approached Pasche in 1969 while looking for an artist to commission for images of the band. 

Illustration of a red heart ona white background with white and red text on top

Winnebago Industries was founded in Forest City, Iowa in 1958.  They manufacture recreational vehicles.  This button was part of an advertising campaign in 1976.

Illustration of a man's head and shoulders in a suit

The Good Roads Movement started in the 1880’s with the formation of the League of American Wheelmen who were bicycle enthusiasts and cycling club members that came together to promote bicycle touring. The organization soon expanded to include a national campaign for the construction of paved roads to aid in smooth riding.

In 1909, Good Roads Associations in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee decided to call a convention to discuss questions of construction and maintenance of good roads as it was thought that no section in the South was in greater need of improved roads than the Southern Appalachian region. By the end of the convention it was decided to make the organization permanent and the Southern Appalachian Good Roads Association was born.

The group held conventions and public demonstrations as well as published materials to promote the benefits of good roads and influence legislation. In 1916, the 8th annual convention of the Southern Appalachian Good Roads Association was held in Lexington, Kentucky, where members discussed federal aid to states for road construction, the maintenance of highways, the use of prison labor in highway construction, and the construction of national highways. The advocacy efforts of Good Roads Associations across America ultimately led to the National Highway System.