Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Torch, Campaign |
Source |
Des Moines County Historical Society |
Iowa History Era Tag |
Statewide Settlement (1869-1896) |
Chronological Tag |
Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) |
Catalog Number |
2020.006.002 |
Description |
This is a glass ballot box torch that was used in the presidential campaign of James A. Garfield between 1880 and 1881. Garfield was the 20th president of the United States of America before his assassination on September 19, 1881; he was president for only seven months. During the middle of the nineteenth century, there was much concern over the transparency of political campaigns when it came to corruption and vote tampering. As a solution to public fears of vote manipulation, the Honest Ballot Box was put into use in some instances. This consisted of a spherical glass vote collecting vessel inside a wooden box frame, which allowed for people to see the number of ballots cast inside the box. It was believed that this would help assuage peoples' fears of vote manipulation by parties and their candidates. This torch is representative of an Honest Ballot Box but is not one in and of itself. This content can be used with the following resources: SS-US.9-12.2: Iowans Influence US History This content can be used to educate students on the political history of the United States and the roles that Iowans played within that history. Honest Ballot Boxes were created as a means of increasing the transparency of elections, which can be a good lesson to students about how political life in Iowa developed and how Iowa voters influenced the larger United States. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item for any copyright restrictions. |
Primary/Secondary Source |
Significant - State/National |
County Tag |
Polk |
People |
Garfield, James A. |
Subjects |
Ballot boxes Political campaigns Political elections Political issues Politics & government Presidential elections Presidents Voting Vote counting |
Classification |
Political Campaigns Political Activities Government & Politics |
Multimedia Links |
Click here to view/hear the file. |
Search Terms |
Political campaigns Political elections Political issues Political participation Political System Politics & government Vote counting Voting |
Legal Status |
Copyright to this resource is held by the Des Moines County Historical Society and has been provided here for educational purposes only, specifically for use in the Iowa Museum Association's "Teaching Iowa History" project. It may not be downloaded, reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission from the Rights Holder. For more information on U.S. and International copyright laws, consult an attorney. |
