(originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press
Our middle-aged kids came to visit us and we wanted to do something special with them. But with the temperature in the mid-nineties, none of us could tolerate being outside for long. Fortunately, Chattanooga has wonderful opportunities to have fun indoors with full-speed air conditioning. Given our long-time fascination with political artifacts, we were eager to check out the exhibit, Path to the Presidency, hosted by the public library’s Local History and Genealogy Department and presented by the Robert L. Golden Institute of Art and History.
But before immersing ourselves at the downtown library’s exhibit, the four of us went to the Siskin gym. While my daughter swam in the pool, my hubby, son-in-law and myself went upstairs to work out, slightly. I walked around the indoor track as did the two guys until they stopped to prop a few items up at a slant. Then they played with a slinky on their invention. The Slinky Boys are proof that you’re never too old to be goofy.
Now you know that we were just ordinary folks going to the library. We do have a streak of the intellectual, but apparently we knew very little about how today’s presidential campaign came to be. What we experienced seeing this exhibit was fascinating, educational, and lots of fun.
It was amazing to be reminded that in 1788, when George Washington ran for president, there were no rallies, buttons, or posters. Yet, by 1860 when Abraham Lincoln ran for president, rallies, posters and mass-produced buttons were the norm.
By 1896, the campaign of William McKinley spent more than one million dollars to advertise directly to the voters. Today, that would be worth about $37,389,166. McKinley didn’t have access to the internet of television. If he had, he’d have raised and spent even more on marketing. Maybe his campaign could have looked like our current campaign season with Biden and Trump raising over $600,000,000 so far.
The exhibit highlighted the influence of television in political campaigns. Beginning in 1960, the election unfolded on TV where Nixon looked lame and soon lost to Kennedy. Candidates had to increase their efforts to connect with voters, especially when emphasizing “Get out the Vote”. That phrase came from the mid-1800s as did knocking on doors, kissing babies and holding barbecues. All that remains in play today. TV and the internet may enhance marketing, but they don’t negate those in-person moments.
Our history comes to life and the exhibit’s presenting Institute was established to do just that by providing easy access to one-of-a-kind artifacts. You’ll love the display, “Our Chattanooga Candidate” with 1952 photos (in his coonskin hat), buttons, posters, and the Time Magazine cover of Estes Kefauver. Be interactive! Stand at the podium backed by a photo of political icons and take your picture delivering an inaugural address.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Adams, the institute’s director and nephew of its founder, Robert Golden. Like his uncle, Matt is dedicated to collecting artifacts with the goal of “…achieving tangibility to the process for becoming the president by utilizing the artifacts to better understand that process. Show in a physical space that candidates are real people.”
It was great fun telling Matt how I’d met Senator Eugene McCarthy when his daughter and I were college roommates. Joining his presidential campaign, I handed out flyers so I guess I’m part of history! We’re all part of history. Think about that when you follow the news and contemplate whether to vote or not, and for whom. Get involved! It’s possible that a future Path to the Presidency exhibit might include you.
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