Democratic System Collection

Welders, or For Full Employment After the War. Poster, 1944, by Ben Shahn for the Congress of Industrial Organizations
WWII: EMPLOYMENT POSTER. Welders, or For Full Employment After the War. Poster, 1944, by Ben Shahn for the Congress of Industrial Organizations

Title-page of the second edition of Thomas Paines pamphlet Common Sense, owned by John Adams
PAINE: COMMON SENSE, 1776. Title-page of the second edition of Thomas Paines pamphlet Common Sense, owned by John Adams

VOTER REGISTRATION POSTER. A Congress of Industrial Organization sponsored voter registration poster by Ben Shahn, 1946

Title-page of Thomas Paines pamphlet Common Sense, which urged Americans to declare their independence from Great
PAINE: COMMON SENSE, 1776. Title-page of Thomas Paines pamphlet Common Sense, which urged Americans to declare their independence from Great Britain

WILLAM EWART GLADSTONE (1809-1898). English statesman. Campaigning for the Liberal party in the General Election of 1880, William Gladstone addresses a crowd in Edinburgh, Scotland, 5 April 1880

CARTOON: U. S. INTERVENTION. The Only Way We Can Save Her [Democracy]: American cartoon, 1939, by Carey Orr against U
CARTOON: U.S. INTERVENTION. The Only Way We Can Save Her [Democracy]: American cartoon, 1939, by Carey Orr against U.S. intervention in European wars

SYMBOL: BALLOT BOX. Symbol of Democracy. Woodcut

SUFFRAGE CARTOON, 1920. The Poison and the Antidote. American cartoon by Calvert Smith, 1920, expressing optimism that the enfranchisement of women will reduce the ability of political party machines

HARPERs WEEKLY, 1867. The First Vote. Front page of Harpers Weekly, 16 November 1867

The Only Way We Can Save Her [Democracy]. American cartoon, 1939, by Carey Orr against U. S
CARTOON: U.S. INTERVENTION. The Only Way We Can Save Her [Democracy]. American cartoon, 1939, by Carey Orr against U.S. intervention in European wars

A National Game That Is Played Out. American cartoon by Thomas Nast, 1876
ELECTION CARTOON, 1876. A National Game That Is Played Out. American cartoon by Thomas Nast, 1876, depicting the ballot box as a political football in the Hayes-Tilden election

Southern Democrats forcing black voters to vote the Democratic ticket: cartoon published in an American newspaper just
SOUTH: FORCED VOTE, 1876. Southern Democrats forcing black voters to vote the Democratic ticket: cartoon published in an American newspaper just before the presidential election of 1876

Compromise - Indeed! American cartoon by Thomas Nast, January 1877, on the presidential election between Rutherford B
ELECTION CARTOON, 1877. Compromise - Indeed! American cartoon by Thomas Nast, January 1877, on the presidential election between Rutherford B

Woodrow Wilson Cartoon
WOODROW WILSON CARTOON. American cartoon, 1914, on the active role adopted by the U.S. in the affairs of Latin American countries, particularly U.S

Georgia: Voters, 1867
GEORGIA: VOTERS, 1867. Freedmen in a voter registration office at Macon, Georgia. Wood engraving, 1867

WOMENs RIGHTS CARTOON. The End of the Climb. Cartoon by Rollin Kirby, 1920, upon the proclamation of the adoption of the 19th (Women Suffrage) Amendment to the United States Constitution

KNOW-NOTHING CARTOON. American cartoon, c1850, supporting the Know-Nothing charge that Irish and German immigrants were stealing American elections and running the big city political machines

Title-page of Thomas Paines pamphlet Common Sense, which urged Americans to declare their independence from Great
PAINE: COMMON SENSE, 1776. Title-page of Thomas Paines pamphlet Common Sense, which urged Americans to declare their independence from Great Britain

Freedmen voting in New Orleans in 1867: contemporary engraving
NEW ORLEANS: VOTING, 1867. Freedmen voting in New Orleans in 1867: contemporary engraving

Wood engraving from an American newspaper of 1867
THE COLORED VOTER, 1867. Wood engraving from an American newspaper of 1867

Women voting in an election after the adoption of the 19th (Woman Suffrage)
WOMENs RIGHTS. Women voting in an election after the adoption of the 19th (Woman Suffrage) Amendment to the United States Constitution, 1920: American illustration

Victoria Claflin Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, unsuccessfully attempting to vote in New York City
SUFFRAGE: WOODHULL SISTERS. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, unsuccessfully attempting to vote in New York City on election day, 1871

ELECTION CARTOON, 1876. A National Game That Is Played Out. American cartoon by Thomas Nast, 1876, depicting the ballot box as a political football in the Hayes-Tilden election

CONCORD MEETING HOUSE. A meeting at the time of the American Revolution in the Meeting House at Concord, Massachusetts, built in 1697. Etching, American, late 19th century

NORWAY: PARLIAMENT, 1861. The new Storting in Christiania, today Oslo, Norway. Wood engravig, English, 1861

NEW YORK: CANVASSING, 1881. A New York City politician running for office pays a visit to a tenement home. Wood engraving, American, 1881

New Yorkers, predominantly Irish immigrants, casting their ballots in the 1858 elections at a saloon in Pearl Street
NEW YORK: IRISH BALLOTS. New Yorkers, predominantly Irish immigrants, casting their ballots in the 1858 elections at a saloon in Pearl Street: contemporary American engraving

Chinese voting in New York City during the presidential election of 1880: wood engraving from a contemporary American
CHINESE IMMIGRANTS VOTING. Chinese voting in New York City during the presidential election of 1880: wood engraving from a contemporary American newspaper

President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt voting at Hyde Park
THE ROOSEVELTS VOTING. President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt voting at Hyde Park

A Truce - not a Compromise, but a Chance for High-Toned Gentlemen to Retire Gracefully from their very Civil
ELECTION CARTOON, 1877. A Truce - not a Compromise, but a Chance for High-Toned Gentlemen to Retire Gracefully from their very Civil Declarations of War. Cartoon, February 1877, on the Rutherford B

Black freedmen voting at Washington, D. C. 5 June 1867. Contemporary American wood engraving
RECONSTRUCTION, 1867. Black freedmen voting at Washington, D.C. 5 June 1867. Contemporary American wood engraving

The exterior of a polling booth in New York City during the presidential election of 1844
POLLING BOOTH, 1844. The exterior of a polling booth in New York City during the presidential election of 1844. Wood engraving from a contemporary English newspaper

Emblem from a Demoratic-Republican poster supporting James Monroe against Rufus King in the presidential campaign of
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, 1816. Emblem from a Demoratic-Republican poster supporting James Monroe against Rufus King in the presidential campaign of 1816

The First Vote. Freedmen voting in the American South. Wood engraving after a drawing by Alfred R
FREEDMEN VOTING, 1867. The First Vote. Freedmen voting in the American South. Wood engraving after a drawing by Alfred R. Waud from an American newspaper of 1867

A demonstration in New York City for the campaign of Horatio Seymour and Francis Preston Blair
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, 1868. A demonstration in New York City for the campaign of Horatio Seymour and Francis Preston Blair, the Democratic party candidates for President and Vice President

The Age of Brass or the Triumph of Womans Rights. Lithograph cartoon satire, 1869, by Currier & Ives
CARTOON: WOMENs RIGHTS. The Age of Brass or the Triumph of Womans Rights. Lithograph cartoon satire, 1869, by Currier & Ives

Women at the polls in New Jersey when they were permitted to vote between 1790 and 1807. Illustration by Howard Pyle
WOMEN VOTING. Women at the polls in New Jersey when they were permitted to vote between 1790 and 1807. Illustration by Howard Pyle

President and Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt voting at Hyde Park, New York, n. d
THE ROOSEVELTS VOTING. President and Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt voting at Hyde Park, New York, n.d

Reconstruction, 1867
RECONSTRUCTION, 1867. Freedmen in a voter registration office at Macon, Georgia. Wood engraving from an American newspaper of 1867

Suffrage: Woodhull Sisters
SUFFRAGE: WOODHULL SISTERS. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and her sister, Tennessee Claflin, unsuccessfully attempting to vote in New York City on election day, 1871. Color engraving

Reconstruction, 1870
RECONSTRUCTION, 1870. First municipal election in Richmond since the end of the war - registration of colored voters. Wood engraving from an American newspaper of 1870

Freedmen Voting, 1867
FREEDMEN VOTING, 1867. Freedmen voting in New Orleans in 1867. Wood engraving from a contemporary American newspaper

North Carolina: Vote, 1867
NORTH CAROLINA: VOTE, 1867. Freedmen registering to vote at Asheville, North Carolina, in 1867. Contemporary color engraving

Freedmen Voting, 1871
FREEDMEN VOTING, 1871. Freedmen voting at Richmond, Virginia, in 1871. Wood engraving from a contemporary American newspaper

WOMEN VOTING, c1800. Women at the polls in New Jersey when they were permitted to vote between 1790 and 1807. Wood engraving after Howard Pyle (1853-1911)

PENNSYLVANIA: VOTING, 1872. Pennsylvania miners voting at their colliery in 1872. Wood engraving from an American newspaper of 1872

NEW YORK: CANVASSING, 1881. A New York City politician running for office pays a visit to a tenement home. Wood engraving, American, 1881

WOMEN VOTING, c1800. New Jersey women voting c1800. American engraving, 19th century

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The democratic system is a powerful force that has shaped the course of history and empowered individuals to have a say in their own governance. From the early days of America's fight for independence, with Thomas Paine's influential pamphlet Common Sense urging Americans to declare their freedom from Great Britain, to the suffrage movement fighting for women's rights and equal representation, democracy has been at the forefront of progress. In 1944, during World War II, Ben Shahn created a poster titled "Welders" or "For Full Employment After the War, " encouraging war workers to register to vote in that year's Presidential election. This exemplifies how democracy relies on active participation from all citizens, regardless of occupation or background. Another voter registration poster by Ben Shahn in 1946 further emphasizes this point. The Congress of Industrial Organizations sponsored this initiative as they recognized that an engaged electorate is essential for a thriving democratic system. Throughout history, political figures like William Ewart Gladstone campaigned tirelessly for their parties and addressed crowds with passion and conviction. In his case, he spoke in Edinburgh during the General Election of 1880. Such moments remind us that democracy thrives when leaders actively engage with their constituents and encourage them to exercise their right to vote. However, there have also been challenges faced by democracies throughout time. A cartoon from 1939 by Carey Orr depicts U. S. Intervention in European wars as detrimental to American democracy itself - highlighting debates surrounding foreign policy decisions within democratic systems. Symbols play an important role in representing democracy; one such symbol is the ballot box itself - often seen as synonymous with free elections and citizen participation. Woodcuts depicting this symbol serve as reminders of its significance. The struggle for equal rights has always been intertwined with democratic ideals. A suffrage cartoon from 1920 captures the momentous occasion when women finally gained voting rights through the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.