384   PS • April 2016

B u s i n e s s

©American Political Science Association, 2016

Smithsonian Highlights Elections with Exhibit

HOORAY FOR POLITICS! EXHIBIT
To mark the 2016 presidential election 
year, the Smithsonian’s National Museum 
of American History opened the exhibition 
“Hooray for Politics!” on February 1. At the 
museum’s Constitution Avenue entrance, 
mannequins, surrounded by historic voting 
machines and ballot boxes, hold aloft rally 
signs from the 2016 presidential campaign.

The signs were provided by the campaigns 
of declared presidential candidates in the 
running as of January 25 with the support 
of more than 1% in a recognized national 
poll. During the course of the election, raised 
signs in the display will indicate contenders 
still in the 2016 race. As candidates suspend 
or end their campaigns, their signs will be 
lowered. Other objects in “Hooray for Poli-
tics!” include an automated voting machine 
invented in 1898, a glass ballot box from the 
19th century, and a bank of three wooden 
voting booths from the 1940s.

In 2016, the museum is organizing its 
exhibitions, programs, and outreach around 
the theme “America Participates” to set the 
stage for a 2017 opening for four program-
matic spaces based on the ideal of the nation 
Americans build together. “American Democ-
racy: A Great Leap of Faith” will be a cor-
nerstone exhibit centered on the country’s 
founding principles, including political par-
ticipation and engagement. The future show 
will include an array of campaign materials 
from the 19th century to the present.   

“It is through participation that Americans 
contribute to our democracy in a multitude 
of avenues, including voting” said John Gray, 
the museum’s director. “This year we aim to 

highlight the many ways Americans effect 
change and we hope to inspire a new gen-
eration to participate.”

COLLECTING MEMORABILIA
Continuing a long-standing tradition, 

curators from the museum’s division of politi-
cal history collected campaign materials and 
memorabilia from the Iowa Caucuses and 
the New Hampshire Primary. Lisa-Kathleen 
Graddy, deputy chair of the museum’s Divi-
sion of Political History, and Jon Grinspan, 
an associate curator of political history and 
Jefferson Fellow, collected on behalf of the 
museum. The curators sought the material 
culture that represents political engagement, 
including posters, badges, buttons, ribbons 
and advertising novelties, as well as materi-
als used by the media and other individuals 
associated with the political process. In addi-
tion to Iowa and New Hampshire, both will 
attend the July Republican and Democratic 
National Conventions in July.

SMITHSONIAN’S COLLECTION
Today, the museum’s political history 

collection includes objects related to presi-
dential history and political campaigning, 
as well as the history of the White House 
and first ladies; civil rights, women’s suffrage 
and reform movements; the World War II 
home front; and labor history. The politi-
cal history collection includes some of the 
country’s most important national treasures, 
including the small portable desk on which 
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration  
of Independence, the top hat President 

Abraham Lincoln wore the night he was assas-
sinated, small metal buttons made to celebrate 
George Washington’s inauguration in 1789 and 
items from recent presidential elections.

Through incomparable collections, rigor-
ous research, and dynamic public outreach, 
the National Museum of American History 
explores the infinite richness and complexity 
of American history. It helps people under-
stand the past in order to make sense of the 
present and shape a more humane future. 
The museum is continuing to renovate its 
west exhibition wing, developing galleries 
on democracy, immigration and migration, 
and culture. 

VISITING THE MUSEUM
For more information, visit http://ameri-

canhistory.si.edu. The museum is located on 
Constitution Avenue, between 12th and 14th 
streets NW, and is open daily from 10 am to 
5:30 pm (closed December 25). Admission 
is free. For Smithsonian information, the 
public may call (202) 633-1000. ■

The exhibit includes election-related pieces 
of history like this automatic voting machine 
with privacy curtain, invented in Iowa, 1898. 

This ballot box, on display, was used in the 
northeast United States during the 1850s.

Election signs for candidates still in the race are displayed at the museum’s Constitution 
Avenue, surrounded by historic voting machines and ballot boxes. (All photos courtesy of the 
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)

http://americanhistory.si.edu
http://americanhistory.si.edu