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Object Timeline

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1915

  • We acquired this object.

2011

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2024

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Fragment, The Constitution Must Be Preserved

This is a Fragment. It is dated ca. 1860 and we acquired it in 1915. Its medium is cotton and its technique is printed by engraved roller on plain weave. It is a part of the Textiles department.

The Constitution Must Be Preserved was printed in support of John Bell, the Constitutional Union Party’s candidate for President in 1860. The election split the vote four ways, dividing the formerly dominant Democratic Party into southern and northern factions, with John C. Breckinridge representing the South and Stephen A. Douglas the North. The Republican Party’s candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was elected without the support of a single southern state, paving the way for the American Civil War.

This object was donated by Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson. It is credited Gift of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson.

  • Watch, Abraham Lincoln's
  • gold pocket watch.
  • Division of Political History, National Museum of American History,....
  • 8.2013.1

Its dimensions are

H x W: 29.5 x 29.5 cm (11 5/8 x 11 5/8 in.)

Cite this object as

Fragment, The Constitution Must Be Preserved; USA; cotton; H x W: 29.5 x 29.5 cm (11 5/8 x 11 5/8 in.); Gift of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson; 1915-30-2

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18186499/ |title=Fragment, The Constitution Must Be Preserved |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=4 May 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>