The Communist Party reached its zenith of popularity and influence in the 1930s, thanks in no small part to the hardships brought on by the Great Depression, as many Americans questioned the capitalist model. Communists were also active in opposing Jim Crow, with the hopes of politicizing Negros. To underscore this effort, the party nominated James Ford for vice president, the first African American to run on a party-sponsored ticket since Frederick Douglass ran on the Cosmo-Political ticket in 1872. Communist Party pinbacks of the era are scarce.