Campaign Badges From History

It's campaign season!

If you're like me, you're probably getting tired of seeing and hearing campaign ads everywhere. They all seem to say the same things over and over, don't they?

Just for fun, I thought we could go back in history and look at something more interesting (and entertaining!) - campaign badges!

Political Police

If you think politics are rowdy now, you should have seen the 1860s! Riots, disruptions, brawls and beatings were often seen at political rallies. That's why the "Wide Awakes" were formed - to "protect" Republican party members at political meetings. Of course, they didn't mind doing a little rough stuff themselves to the other side, but their 1860 Mission Statement sounded quite virtuous:

To act as a political police. To do escort duty to all prominent Republican speakers who visit our place to address our citizens. To attend all public meetings in a body and see that order is kept and that the speaker and meeting is not disturbed. To attend the polls and see that justice is done to every legal voter. To conduct themselves in such a manner as to induce all Republicans to join them. To be a body joined together in large numbers to work for the good of the Republican Ticket.

A Mark For the Enemy

May 30th 1861

Dear Brother
I take my pen in hand this morning to write you a few lines....Hutchens are all unionists I believe even to the women Some of us got to arguing with Eliza yesterday but we might as well have tried to make her believe that the sun shines here in the night as to make a secessionist of her, and this is the way with all the unionists Tell John Beard he must try to make a secessionist of his father and Sam. ...Thomas have you received your secession badge yet Hannah was telling us that she had made one for you but Ma told her she ought not to have done it as it would be a mark for the enemy to shoot at. You must excuse all these mistakes scratches & blotches in this nor you must not criticise it so closely as you used to do

I remain your affectionate sister

Mary A Smiley

We Will Print No Badges

Debate raged hotly in 1863-64 between the War Democrats and the Peace Democrats, also called Copperheads. In Ohio, in particular, tempers were high between John Brough (War Democrat) and Clement Vallandigham (Peace Democrat) who were both running for govnernor. I guess the "Tiffin Weekly Tribune's" position was pretty clear from the following statement:

The War Democrats of Ohio have cut loose from the Copperheads. They met in State Convention at Columbus a week ago, and took strong grounds in favor of a vigorous prosecution of the war; sustained the National Administration and the soldiers in the field, and condemned the nomination and the course of Vallandigham. No Nominations were made. The Ohio war Democrats generally, will support Brough.

Don’t Laugh:—“We will print no Vallandigham badges on the day of the Brough meetings.”—Advertiser.

If you do, you must have a hard check, after such disgraceful proceedings on that 18th. The idea of printing badges for a traitor to his country - a man that was banished from his native State for treason! O, shame, where is thy blush!

Hogarth's 1754 "The Polling," shows both
buff and blue flags and cockades

British Cockades and Corruption

But angst over political badges wasn't confined just to the United States. There were rows over cockades for decades in England. Laws were passed periodically trying to suppress both cockades and corruption, as evidenced by this quote:

"Mr. Lockhart said (March 2d, 1818,) that he approved of the general principle of the (election laws amendment) bill, especially that part forbidding the distribution of cockades. He had known 30,000 cockades given away at an election, and this signal of party was thus made an engine of bribery, not to the multitude at large, but towards persons of particular trades."

Several decades later, Charles Dickens noted the quarrel over cockades and corruption was still raging. In his Household Words in August 1853, tongue firmly in cheek, he noted humorously:

FLAGS TO FURL.

FLAGS, pennons, banners, bribery, beer, cockades, rosettes, brass bands and bludgeons being manifestly contrary and inimical to virtue, are to be abolished by the strong arm of the law. They are not in themselves, as things, essentially immoral; but they are vicious, when taken in connection with the election of members to the Commons House of Parliament. That assembly, confessed to be composed of the collective wisdom of the nation, has perhaps been held to include also the collective national virtue; and with this view, a Bill has been introduced, and is now before the House relating to expenses at elections, in which war to the knife is waged against every species of flag, banner, rosette, cockade, colour, or procession, which might dare to flaunt its drapery during, or immediately before or after, an election. The game is up. The flags must be furled.

In case you're wondering, the law was passed in 1854 and states the following:

An Act to consolidate and amend the Laws relating to Bribery, Treating, and undue Influence at Elections of Members of Parliament. 10th August 1854.

Section VII: No Candidate before, during, or after any Election shall in regard to such Election, by himself or Agent, directly or indirectly, give or provide to or for any Person having a Vote at such Election, or to or for any Inhabitant of the County, City, Borough, or Place for which such Election is had, any Cockade, Ribbon or other Mark of Distinction; and every Person so giving or providing shall for every such offence forfeit the Sum of Two Pounds to such Person as shall sue for the same, together with full Costs of Suit; and all Payments within this Act.

Black Cockade Federalists - Horrors!

And for a final example of election furor over cockades, I'll go to my favorite: the 1840 US presidential election. William Henry Harrison, a retired Army general and war hero, was running for president. The black cockade he wore as part of his required US Army uniform had since become synonymous with Federalist party tyranny and was hated by a much of the public. Therefore a violent debate raged in the press as to whether - get ready for this - General Harrison ever wore the black cockade after he retired! Horrors! 

I don't have space for all the hysterical items in the press (you can read some of them in my blog here), but here's just one from the 1840 Columbia (Bloosmburg, PA) Democrat: 

The Boston Courier, a violent Harrison paper, refers to the charge of the democratic presses against Gen. Harrison, that he wore a BLACK COCKADE curing the reign of Terror in 1800 in the following independent manner:

“The Van Buren papers are charging Gen. Harrison with having worn a black cockade during the reign of the elder Adams and parade the testimony of a Mr. Fowler of Kentucky, in support of the Imputation. Well, suppose Gen. Harrison did.  HE COULD NOT HAVE WORN A MORE HONORABLE BADGE, OR SUPPORTED A PURER ADMINISTRATION!”

Support Your Candidate!

Whether you want to "support" a candidate from history or support a candidate today, I'm happy to make a cockade for you!

Search "campaign" to see some of my ready-made designs or contact me for a custom order. I'll be glad to make something for your candidate.

Whether we like rowdy politics or not, we are indeed blessed to be in a country where we can campaign and vote freely! So... go vote!

Buff and Blue... And Cockades

Many of the portraits of our founding fathers show them in Continental Army uniforms of buff (tan) and blue. By the end of the Revolutionary War, these were considered the basic uniform colors for the army. George Washington himself was apparently involved in the choice of those colors - and the choice was not arbitrary.

There's a story behind buff and blue - and yes, it involves cockades!

George Washington's adopted son, George Custis, gives us a hint of this story when he described his father's uniform: "His uniform (Blue and Buff, the antient Whig colours of England) was as plain as hands could make it..."

The Polling, by William Hogarth

Whig Colors

By the time of the Revolutionary War, the Whig party in England was firmly identified with the colors of buff and blue. Their archrivals were the Tory party, whose color was simply blue. 

Up until the middle 1700s, the Whig color was buff alone. An old painting by William Hogarth shows a polling place with a flag of each color, representing each party. The voters wear cockades of their party's color in their hats.

By the time of the Revolution though, the Whigs had added blue to the mix. An old book I found states that blue is the color of fidelity. Buff comes from the color of buffalo leather, and the old term "to stand buff" is based on the sturdiness of that leather. 

So the colors of the Whig cockade said they were faithful, true blue and sturdy citizens!

A Whig caricature in buff and blue,
taking aim at a symbol of the crown

Whig Ideals

Now we know the story of the colors, but that still begs the question: Why did our founders choose Whig colors for their uniforms?

American revolutionaries were, of course, British citizens until the United States declared their independence. And so they identified closely with British politics. The two main British parties of the day were Tories and Whigs. 

A quick look at the principles of the Whigs - particularly the "radical Whigs" - shows us why American patriots chose their colors and their ideals. 

Religious liberty - unlike the rest of the western world at the time, radical Whigs actually were in favor of allowing dissenters from the state religion. Though they were anti-Catholic, their opposition was rooted in the fact that the Catholic church of the day was political and absolutely quashed all religious dissent. 

Constitutionalism - at a time when nearly all nations believed in the divine right of kings to dictate however they wished, radical Whigs instead said that kings must be confined to constitutional limits.

Representation in government - radical Whigs espoused the new idea of Parliament having supremacy over the king. The representatives of the people, they said, should have more power than a single monarch.

A British election celebration in 1755.
Note the buff and blue cockades.

There is much more Whig philosophy that our founders believed, but this gives you a quick taste. Whigs liked the writings of John Locke, Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, Algernon Sidney, and Baron Montesquieu. They brought up new theories about things like social contract, natural rights, separation of powers, republic vs monarchy, free trade, religious liberty and the protection of property. 

Those are the ideals on which the American Revolution - indeed, the whole American story - were based.

So it makes sense that our national uniforms would be based on the Whig cockades!

If you want to read in more depth about Whig influence on American thought, here's a good article to start with.

So the next time you see a portrait of an American founder in buff and blue, you'll know what those colors represented!

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Presidential Campaign Cockades

Today is Presidents Day, and in just a few days, my state will be holding a primary to choose a presidential candidate for 2016. In honor of all this presidential hoopla, here are some awesome campaign cockades to drool over from past American presidents!

Teddy Roosevelt

It's tough to put Teddy Roosevelt's life - or even his presidency - into a paragraph. Roosevelt was an amazing, larger-than-life American hero. A sickly child, he took his father's advice to "make his body" into a tough-as-leather naturalist and sportsman. But his interests became far more wide and varied than that.

While still in college, he wrote a definitive history of the War of 1812. Other accomplishments include running a ranch in North Dakota, cleaning up corruption in both the NY City police and the US Civil Service Commission, serving as assistant Secretary of the Navy and Vice President to President William McKinley.

He formed the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish American war and led them in a glorious charge up San Juan hill. He is distinguished in being one of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore.

After McKinley's assassination, he finished the term as President and was reelected for his own term in 1904. That's the campaign this cockade is from.

Jimmy Carter

I bet you didn't know that campaign cockades were still being used in the 1970s! This one is from Jimmy Carter's campaign in 1977.

Carter had served as both Senator and Governor from Georgia before his presidential run. His single-term presidency was plagued with issues like economic recession, the Cold War, an energy crisis and the Iran hostage crisis.

People who admire Carter's legacy generally point to his social work around the world after his presidency. President Carter is still alive and reportedly in good health at the age of 91. And his campaign cockade looks like it's in good shape too!

U.S. Grant

Nearly everyone is familiar with Ulysses S. Grant's role as general in the Civil War. Not as many people know much about other facets of Grant's life.

That's probably just as well, as Grant wasn't nearly as good at the rest of life as he was at being a general! Grant's military valor was unquestioned, both in the Mexican American War and the Civil War. But he apparently had no head for business and failed repeatedly in professional ventures.

He also struggled with the role of President, being dogged by charges of mismanagement and corruption. A national recession didn't help his reputation either. This is one of his campaign cockades.

Altogether, Grant led a difficult life, but his rank in American history is undisputed - for his generalship, not his presidency!

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln, one of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore, had a major impact on American history. Love him or hate him, he oversaw a tremendous shift in American government and politics.

Born on the frontier and largely self-educated, Lincoln went on to have a career in law and later, politics. He helped to create the Republican Party, and was the first candidate from that party to win the presidency.

Lincoln's two terms as president spanned the entire Civil War. Just days after Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, Lincoln was assassinated. His funeral provoked a huge outpouring of mourning in the Northern states. Because of his historical importance, many people saved their Lincoln campaign and mourning badges. This gorgeous piece is one of them.

Richard Nixon

I received a fun Christmas gift this year - cockades from Richard Nixon's 1960 campaign!

Many people immediately think of the Watergate scandal in connection with Nixon. But there's a lot more to his career than that. In addition to serving as a representative, senator and vice president, he also served a meritorious career in the Naval Reserve during World War II.

His presidency oversaw the end of the Vietnam War, opening of relations with China and warming relations with the Soviet Union. On the domestic front he was plagued with economic problems and shortages, but also dealt with desegregation of public schools and the first landing on the moon in Apollo 11. The Watergate scandal brought an untimely end to his second term of presidency.

Ronald Reagan

Another cockade from modern times! This striking beauty is from Reagan's first inauguration in 1981.

Reagan's career, like many presidents before him, include much besides politics. In addition to roles as radio announcer and movie actor, he also served in the Officers Reserve Corps during World War II. Reagan served two terms as California's governor before being elected as president in 1980. Reagan is one of only two presidents to be wounded in, and survive, an assassination attempt (Teddy Roosevelt was the other).

Introducing a series of economic reforms that became named after him, Reagan saw an improvement over the troubled economies of the 60s and 70s. His policies with the Soviet Union also led the end of the Cold War. Many Republicans today still refer to him as one of the best spokesman for Republican ideals.

George Washington

So let's wind up with the man in whose honor this day was started - George Washington, the Father of the Country. This cockade was created with the black and white color scheme that Washington himself wore during the Revolutionary War.

Much has been said about Washington in the 200+ years since his death. Interestingly, a look at his military and political careers show dogged determination but not particular brilliance. Unlike other Founders, he didn't contribute amazing inventions, spectacular generalship, great works of philosophy or definitive books on history. At first glance, it seems that his claim to fame is merely in being "first."

Until you look closer and realize why he was first - and what that meant for our country and for democratic ideals around the world. Washington was chosen as army commander and as first president because of his character.

He was a man of deep integrity, self-control even in the face of disaster, and unselfishness even to the point of personal loss. He was determined and persevering, refusing to be either bought or discouraged. After America's victory, Washington could have become king or military dictator of America - it was literally his for the asking. He refused and insisted the country stick to ideals of limited, constitutional, law-abiding government.

You could say his greatness consists in him being an ordinary man with an extraordinary commitment to principle. As such, he became an example for every subsequent president to live up to.

Got Presidents?

If you need a "presidential" cockade, or any patriotic cockade, I have many options in my shops!

Or hit me up for a custom design. I'm always happy to create a cockade just for you, and there's no extra fee for custom work.

And if you haven't done it already... go vote! 

Candidates, Campaigns and Cockades

Here in South Carolina, we're hearing a lot of election talk as candidates for the 2016 Presidential race hold rallies and fundraising events in our state. Signs and campaign buttons are beginning to blossom in yards and on people's lapels. All this election fervor prompted me to go through my files on historic campaign badges.

Cockades have been used for over 150 years in American presidential campaigns. With the invention of the tintype button, it became easy for people to put a picture of their favorite candidate on a patriotic rosette.

This is a lovely cockade from the 1860 presidential election, featuring candidate Stephen Douglas (of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates). Early campaign cockades often had the tricolor red, white and blue separated into sections and this cockade is no exception. It appears to have originally had more streamers, possibly printed with words. The remaining blue streamer seems to have the word "Union" on it.

It's only natural that we look at a cockade from his rival, Abraham Lincoln. This cockade is from the 1864 election. You can tell that because the photo of Lincoln has a beard, something he hadn't yet grown in 1860. Once again, the three colors of the cockade are grouped separately in striking fan-shaped designs.

This 1864 Lincoln cockade is styled differently, however. The colors are placed in separate rings, something that was becoming common for patriotic cockades in general. 

Since we're in the 1860s, let's take a look at the other American election that happened then - the election for a president of the Confederate States of America. In this case, the choice for candidate was easy - such was Jefferson Davis's stature that he ran unopposed and was elected to a six-year term. This cockade shows the brilliant red and white, which have often been called the colors of the Confederacy.

By the way, this cockade is from an earlier Davis campaign, likely his 1857 senatorial race.

The campaign cockades didn't end with the Civil War. General U.S. Grant ran for president in 1868 and this beautiful velvet cockade is from that era. Rather showy, isn't it? Even the tintype button is rimmed in velvet!

As time went on, the candidates' photos became more sophisticated but the cockades remained lavish and flashy. Here's a beautiful one from 1896 for William McKinley. It looks almost exactly like the Lincoln cockade above, doesn't it?

Teddy Roosevelt's campaign produced some lovely cockades as well. Here's a gorgeous one with multiple "fans" and bullion tassels radiating out from the photo button.

As metal buttons and stickers became easier to produce in the twentieth century, cockades began to disappear. But a few still occasionally surfaced. Here's a brilliant one for Jimmy Carter's 1976 race.

And here's a striking one for Ronald Reagan's 1981 presidential inauguration.

I've heard a lot of talk about bringing back the values of the past to the presidency. But I have a further suggestion - Don't you think it's time to bring back these cockades? I do!

(And I'm not a bit biased, of course!)

In pursuing that line of thought, I have decided to offer a custom campaign cockade - you can have the candidate of your choice in the center! Just let me know who you are supporting and I'll be happy to put his or her photo in the center!

Corruption and Cockades - Better Together?

As the counting begins for the Scottish vote on whether to become independent of Great Britain, I thought it might be entertaining to look at an old election law in Great Britain.

Back in 1854, Britain began to formally define "Corrupt Practices" in politics. In "An Act to consolidate and amend the Laws relating to Bribery, Treating, and undue Influence at Elections of Members of Parliament," the following was sternly warned against:

Section VII: No Candidate before, during, or after any Election shall in regard to such Election, by himself or Agent, directly or indirectly, give or provide to or for any Person having a Vote at such Election, or to or for any Inhabitant of the County, City, Borough, or Place for which such Election is had, any Cockade, Ribbon or other Mark of Distinction; and every Person so giving or providing shall for every such offence forfeit the Sum of Two Pounds to such Person as shall sue for the same, together with full Costs of Suit; and all Payments within this Act.

So there you have it - Cockades and Corruption, a Clear Connection! LOL

What do you think of today's vote? Would you vote for or against Scottish independence?

And most importantly to me, would you wear a Scottish cockade? :)

Copperheads, Peace and Constitutionalism

In August 150 years ago, this was the status of an American political group:

 ▪ Two of their senators had been run out of town
▪ They virtually shut down a state legislature for 2 years
▪ They inspired riots across the United States
▪ They caused secession to be threatened in many Northern areas
▪ They wrote the Democratic party platform for the 1864 election
▪ Lincoln called them "the fire in the rear" and at one time, feared them more than the Southern armies

Clement Vallandigham, a famous senator 

who was exiled by Lincoln

Who were they?
The Copperheads!

Copperheads were "Peace Democrats" - Northerners who believed for various reasons that the Civil War should be ended. They were called "copperheads" because their opponents viewed them as "snakes." Taking the name as a badge of honor, they wore literal badges that were a play on the words "copper" and "head." 

Copperhead badges were the head of Lady Liberty stamped on copper 1-cent coins. Sometimes the coin was pierced and worn as a watch fob. More often, Lady Liberty's head was cut out and worn as a pin. The Dayton (Ohio) Daily Empire explains, "the 'Copperhead' emblem, or 'Badge of Liberty,' 'mark it well,' is made of the head of the Goddess of Liberty, cut from a copper cent, with the word 'Liberty' stamped across the top of the cap." 

Both men and women proudly wore these badges - or secretly wore them, if public feeling against them was violent. Emotions ran high between Copperheads and their opponents, the "War Democrats" and Republicans. I found a wealth of primary sources detailing everything from inter-family arguments to city-wide riots between the two factions.

A sarcastic "catechism" ridiculing 

Copperheads' supposed views

Opposition to Copperhead Badges
Those wearing Copperhead badges faced the real possibility of having the badge literally ripped from their clothing by their opponents. Here is a typical story. "The Muskadine (Iowa) Journal says there was an exciting time at the anniversary exercises of Cornell College, at Mount Vernon, June 26th. It seems that a dozen persons from Marion appeared in the crowd with copperhead pins. About two thousand persons were present, the exercises being held in a grove. "On the appearance of the secesh emblems all business was suspended by the tumult, and every copperhead badge was hastily taken from its owner, and he forced to hurrah for the Union. A gray-headed traitor, who has been blatant for the Southern Confederacy, declared that he would not hurrah for the Union; but a little choking brought him to terms. One woman had on the Southern badge, which was torn from her breast, clothes and all, by another young woman. The latter had her bonnet destroyed in capturing the pin, and some young men raised eight or ten dollars instanter to replace the bonnet. The copperhead pins being all 'cleaned out,' the exercises were resumed and passed off very satisfactorily." 

Battles like Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American

history, discouraged Northerners and led them to join the 

Peace Democrats

What Were the Copperhead's Issues?
In spite of this opposition, Copperheads existed all throughout the Civil War. In fact, the movement had grown strong enough by 1864 that the Peace Democrats wrote the Democratic party platform and ran a candidate (George Pendleton) for Vice President. What were the issues that motivated so many people in the North to oppose the war?

A wide range of topics brought Peace Democrats together but they all boiled down to two basic issues: A conservative view of the Constitution, and a desperation to see the horrors of the Civil War end. The Peace Democrats warned at the beginning of the war that Lincoln's party was twisting the Constitution and encroaching on personal liberty. They forecasted dire consequences from national recession to the loss of personal freedom and even to the loss of the war. As the war went on and the death toll mounted, their worst predictions were fulfilled and the Copperhead movement gained traction.

Here is a quick list of some Copperhead grievances.

▪ Habeas Corpus was suspended
▪ Freedom of the press was suspended
▪ An income tax was created
▪ Debasing of currency by issuing "greenbacks" in place of silver or gold
▪ A draft was instituted with an accompanying intrusive bureaucracy
▪ Emancipation was handled in an unconstitutional way
▪ Punishing tariffs were enacted that led to nationwide trade deficits and recession

Rioting in New York City when the draft was instituted

When you look at this list and also consider how badly the war went for the North during the first several years, it's easy to see why the Copperhead movement gained traction. Most Copperheads believed secession was legal (actually, most Americans believed that until the Civil War). They didn't want the Southern states to secede but felt that the best way to prevent it was to deal with the issues that prompted secession, not go to war.

Senator James A. Bayard of Delaware summed it up: "I differ from honorable Senators as to what constitutes the life of the nation. In my judgment, the life of a free people consists in the preservation of their liberties, not in the extent of their dominion."

With the Northern victories at Atlanta in the East and Mobile Bay in the West, many Peace Democrats changed their minds and just wanted to finish the war victoriously. Thus, the Copperhead movement essentially died with the reelection of Lincoln in November 1864. 

An anti-copperhead cartoon. Note Lady Liberty's Union 

cockade at her collar.

Badges vs Cockades
My research of the Copperheads started when a customer asked me if there were Copperhead cockades. As nearly as I can tell, Copperheads stuck to their Lady Liberty badges, occasionally varying them with a butternut (also a Southern emblem). It was their opponents, Republicans and War Democrats, who wore the tricolor cockades.

The Dayton (Ohio) Daily Empire described the opposing emblems this way: "The 'Abolition emblems,' mark it well, are the eagle buttons, the tri color, and the stars and stripes. The 'Democratic emblems,' are 'copperheads' and 'butternuts'." copperhead badge My reproduction Copperhead badge!

ANNOUNCING!!!
After painstaking research, I partnered with a local craftsman jeweler to create beautiful exact reproductions of the Copperhead badge! I will be premiering them in my shop this week. Of course, I also carry "tricolor" Union and 1864 campaign cockades too - so whether your sympathies are with the War Democrats or the Peace Democrats, there's a badge there for you!

Need a quick summary to remember the Copperheads? Here's an infographic to save!

A Presidential Election and Black Cockades

With the presidential election nearly upon us, the news is full of candidates and their followers making accusations and defending themselves against accusations. That's nothing new, actually. Even back in the presidential election of 1840, the mud was being slung with gusto. Wanna know what one of the most hotly contested accusations was?

Get ready for this.

That Whig candidate William Henry Harrison wore a black cockade!! Horrors!

I'm really not making this up. Whig party supporters (precursors to the Republican party) insisted valiantly that Harrison never wore a black cockade except when in the Army. Democrat party supporters insisted that he did TOO wear a black cockade after leaving the Army. And thus the journalistic fur flew.

I first became interested in this when I ran across a violent quote or two in old newspapers regarding the black cockade accusations. I just had to know more. Here is what I discovered. And it proves once again that there's a story behind every cockade!

The Black Cockade Story
As you know, if you have read my previous entry on Black and White American Cockades, by the time of the War of 1812, black, or black-and-white cockades were part of United States Army standard uniform. Thus, when Harrison was made commander of the Army of the Northwest in the War of 1812, it was only natural that he would wear a black cockade too. Nobody had a beef with that.

Note the black cockades in their hats.

HOWEVER, the black cockade was also a political statement in our country's early days. It was worn in particular by those favoring the Federalist party. And the Federalist party had one particularly unpopular member: John Adams. There has been a wealth of information published about John Adams, so I will confine my comments on his unpopularity to the following statement: He signed the highly controversial Alien and Sedition Acts and he engaged in an unpopular quasi-war (with France). Sounds rather familiar... like some of our modern elections... doesn't it?

A cartoon depicting a the political furor in Congress over the Alien and Sedition Act

The Federalists were the party of strong central government. They favored a central bank, tariffs, and a foreign policy that many felt was too entangling. They also taxed whiskey. You can see why this party quickly disintegrated. :grin: Especially with the early American climate of states' rights and individual freedom. Adams' presidential term was even called by some the "reign of terror." But though the party died out, it's effects continued. And the Whig party, formed later, was its natural follower.

The Whig party contained many now-famous members including Henry Clay and (later) Abraham Lincoln. But for the purposes of this blog post, all we care about is that it also contained 1840 presidential contender William Henry Harrison. And that's where the black cockade comes in.

The Election Story
Did General Harrison wear a black cockade after his military service was over? If so, his opponents argued, he was showing solidarity with a highly unpopular political movement. Many felt that black cockades were synonymous with the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Whiskey Rebellion, Big Government and the Reign of Terror.

No, he did not wear the black cockade as a civilian, Harrison's proponents insisted. He never in his whole life wanted to do something so nasty as identify with the Federalist party! But the Democrats gleefully continued to assure everyone that he did too! Here is a (Democratic) newspaper report on a political meeting.

"Mr. Flemming from Lycoming was then called out by a spontaneous cry from every part of the house, and took the floor amid loud and repeated cheering. He spoke for half an hour or more with great force and eloquence. He held up to view the present federal party maddened in the hope of triumph, and exulting in the prospect of another "reign of terror." He proved clearly Gen. Harrison to have favored, and been identified with the federal party of '98 and a warm supporter of the Administration of the elder Adams – that on his return from Washington in 1770, to Cincinnati, he wore on his hat that badge of Federalism, a "black cockade." Mr. Flemming was very happy throughout the whole of his remarks, and if any other evidence was wanting to prove their force and ability, than the frequent expressions of applause with which he was greeted, it could be found in the excited and angry countenances of the whigs that were present."

In a note dripping with sarcasm, the same newspaper observed: "KEEP IT BEFORE THE PEOPLE, that Harrison WORE THE BLACK COCKADE in 1800, the distinctive badge of Federalism, and that in support of the Sedition Law he was heard to say: "That it was PROPER for Congress, the President, and heads of Department to have a SHIELD thrown around them, that they should not be in the mouth of every BLACKGUARD that walked the street," thereby meaning they should have their lips SEALED and GAG’D, as his own are at the present day."

Harrison's supporters contradicted this, and felt the need to print sworn statements of those who knew Harrison personally. Like this one in a Vermont newspaper:

"Statement of George Gordon, Register of Hamilton County, under the Territorial Government.
"I removed to Cincinnati in the fall of the year 1793, and soon became acquainted with Ge. Wm. H. Harrison. He was always considered, during the Presidency of the elder Adams, a Republican of the Jefferson school, and I do not think he has ever abandoned the political sentiments he then imbibed. As to his wearing a black cockade, I do not believer he ever did, except on parade. General Harrison was always free in declaring his sentiments. GEO. GORDON. July 13, 1840."

But this testimony was promptly challenged by statements from the other side to the contrary. A Missouri newspaper stated:

"He is shown by the testimony of Fowler, Mills, Price, White Caldwell, Holmes, and others, to have worn the black cockade in 1800 as the badge of his Federal faith; and this being nearly three years after he had left the army and retired to civil live, precludes the idea advanced by his friends, that it was worn as an emblem of military command."

A Harrison campaign button, espousing his "Log Cabin" policy

Apparently, the 1840s version of political barbeques didn't sweeten any of the Democrats' tempers over the issue of black cockades either. The Salt River Journal in Missouri snaps:

"Democrats of Pike County, Mo. declared in a voice of thunder in the exercise of the right of suffrage, that they stood for ever absolved from all allegiance to the mandates of Federal Whiggery. "Old Pike," is now Democratic to the core, and her Democratic sons, will in future, teach their political enemies, that independent free men, are not to be cajoled or duped into the support of candidates for office, of the old black Cockade Federal School in politics, by the getting up of "Hard Cider" carousals – bacchanalian song singing and the exhibition of Coon Skins and such like foolery."

Ha, as if black cockades weren't bad enough, now we have COON SKINS! :spit: Yeah, I happen to think politics are hysterically funny, whether modern or historical.

At any rate, black cockade or no black cockade, Harrison was running against an incumbent in an economic recession. He won handily and black cockades were laid to rest - until resurrected in the political hostilities of the War Between the States 20 years later.

Harrison's campaign poster

Isn't history fun? If this election begins to get to you... just go back and study the elections in history. It all sounds the same, but it's a lot more entertaining.

And if you're a reenactor who needs a black cockade, contact me to order or check out my shop!


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