Pinback button opposing Franklin Roosevelt for president, 1936.
Millions of Americans were out of work as a result of the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in the nation's history. Enter Franklin D. Roosevelt, the progressive governor of New York whose ideals were exceeded only by his ambition. Elected president in 1932 on the promise of recovery, he faced reelection four years later with little change in the situation. Millions were still out of work, and the opposition sought to draw attention to this fact by putting out this pinback. The implication is that Roosevelt's base of support rested mainly with "paupers" on the government dole.