Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction .

Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Political Button Collection, 1917-1918, 1940, Ms2022-013, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The colleciton was donated to Special Collections and University in April 1990.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Political Buttons Collection was completed in May 2022.

Administrative History - Liberty Loan program

This collection contains two buttons from the Liberty Loan program during World War I. The liberty loan progam was started by the United States Government to help pay for the war effort in Europe. There were several different iterations of the Liberty Loans, but the buttons in this collection are from the first and fourth Liberty Loan.

Source: National Museum of American History. "Liberty Loan of 1917 Button", https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1317532

Administrative History - United War Work Campaign

The United War Work Campaign was a united effort of several American organizations to raise 170 million dollars in one week in 1918 to provide soldiers with recreational activities and a morale boost during World War I.

Source: Smithsonian. "United War Work Campaign Pin", https://www.si.edu/object/united-war-work-campaign-pin%3Anmah_1317458

Administrative History - Virginia Council of Defense

During World War I, the U.S. government created the Council of National Defense in 1916 to mobilize industries for the war efforts. The Council coordinated and supervised the work of state and local councils. The Virginia Council of Defense was likely the commonwealth's council from this effort. The national council was revived during World War II in 1940, but was dissolved in 1941, with its responsibilities absorbed by other agencies.

Source: Bradsher, Greg. "The Council of National Defense: Now a Little Known or Appreciated World War I Federal Agency" (August 15, 2017). The Text Message: Blog of the Textual Records Division at the National Archives . https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2017/08/15/the-council-of-national-defense-now-a-little-known-or-appreciated-world-war-i-federal-agency/ . Accessed June 17, 2022.

Biographical Note - Harry F. Byrd Sr.

This collection also contains a United States Senate campaign button supporting Harry F. Byrd Sr. Harry Byrd was from Virginia and was a U.S. Senator from 1933 to 1965. Byrd was a member of the Democratic Party and was in control over a state political machine known as the Byrd Organization.

Source: Encyclopedia Virginia. "Harry F. Byrd (1887-1966)". https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/byrd-harry-f-1887-1966/

Scope and Content

This collection contains five American politcal buttons from the first half of the 20th century, primarily during World War I. The collection contains a button from the Liberty Loan of 1917, a button from the United War Work Campaign (1918), a button from the Fourth Liberty Loan (1918), a button from the Virginia Council of Defense (ca. 1917-1918), and a U. S. Senate campaign button supporting Harry Byrd (1940).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Artifacts (object genre)
• World War, 1914-1918

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Political Buttons Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).