Introduction

A high profile is necessary for presidential candidates today, but such has not always been the case. The presidential image, as first personified by George Washington, exerted a restraining force upon presidential hopefuls for many years. Washington was so revered by the electorate that he faced almost no opposition for the office of president. What presidential politicking existed was a relatively dignified affair in which candidates seldom publicly sought votes; the presidency, as a rule, sought the man, not the man the presidency. This concept worked well for the founding father presidents (Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe), but, as the nation grew and voting restrictions were relaxed, candidates for the presidency were forced to seek support directly from a steadily increasing voter population.

Presidential campaigning evolved from the candidates' need for popular support. To meet that need, candidates developed and utilized increasingly advanced methods to make their names and political ideas familiar to the voting public. This exhibit displays a wide variety of campaign paraphernalia used by presidential hopefuls and traces the evolution of presidential campaigning from the 1800s to today.