Highlights from the Smithsonian Archives of the Republican National Convention

Curators for political history from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History are on the Republican National Convention in Milwaukeewho’re collecting items from clothing to signs to assist tell the story of the 2024 presidential election. Naomi Schalit, U.S. politics editor at Conversation, interviewed them last week before they left Washington, DC for Wisconsin to learn what they are attempting to gather and why. Now that they’re on the event, curators Claire Jerry and Jon Grinspan reported to Schalit on their collecting progress. It seems that a transparent plastic bag distributed to attendees could tell the massive story of the convention that can happen just days after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Schalit: What do you see and what do you’ve?

Grinspan: There aren't many handmade items because the safety area is so tight. There aren't many hats and posters that we normally see. So overall there are fewer objects to gather.

Jerry: All delegates appear to have received clear plastic bags from their delegations. Some just say “RNC” on them. Some have the name of a state on them. These were obviously designed long before Saturday's events, so the clear plastic is a long-standing security measure.

Grinspan: Sometimes it's frustrating not to come back home with a number of things. Because of security concerns related to the assassination, people have brought fewer items. At the identical time, because this convention is so unified behind Trump, there's less need to make use of signs and other materials to object to or support other candidates. The absence of things can say just as much a few moment as an abundance of things.

We see a number of MAGA hats with different designs. We got one from an African-American pastor in Virginia that claims “MAGA BLACK.” There are a number of “45/47” hats, “ULTRA MAGA” hats, things like that which have been handed out.

We hand out a number of business cards. Often you meet people and hand out a business card because they’ve a cool object. You don't know in case you'll get it, but perhaps 4 weeks later someone will email you and that's how a number of objects come into our collection. There are things we don't have in our hands without delay, but we hope to gather them.

What things do you currently have in your hands?

Jerry: We received the entire signs that were distributed to delegates within the room and were in a position to track after they were distributed to see what the event organizers wanted people to carry up the signs for. For example, the “Back the Blue” signs that got here out last night were distributed right in front of some speakers who specifically desired to discuss law enforcement issues or were law enforcement officers themselves.

These signs are interesting because they are saying lots about how the congress itself ought to be organized.

So you’ve posters and signs that the organizers hope will probably be used when someone on stage says something that they know is coming since it's within the script?

Jerry: That's very, very typical of a convention. At this convention, like many others, there may be a theme every night. The theme of the primary night was prosperity and the economy of the country. And so the signs said, “MAKE AMERICA RICH AGAIN!” The theme of the following night was security. So the sign said, “MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!”

What was interesting was that convention volunteers go around and put signs on the seats, so when delegates or spectators arrive, there are signs there ready. When I took my seat yesterday, the signs around me on the seats were the identical “TRUMP” signs because the day before, in red, white, and blue. And before yesterday's events began, the “TRUMP/VANCE” signs had arrived. Sign crews went around and picked up the signs that had just one name on them and replaced them with signs with two names.

Have you seen interesting things that wouldn't fit into the gathering?

Grinspan: We literally have a physical collection of campaign ephemera. We take into consideration what we will put in it, what we will store and keep for 100 or 200 years. So we wish to take home every shirt and hat, but in some unspecified time in the future the query becomes, what value does it add to keeping this object over time versus something else?

Jerry: I've seen some clothes from a distance – things that sparkle or glitter. I hope to catch up with to those delegates today to listen to what their story is and the way attached they’re to the garments and whether or not they're willing to share it. Sometimes we want to take a look at what materials things are manufactured from because with some things we just know they're not going to last long, or with clothes which might be made for entertainment purposes, the fabric itself can damage things around it since it gives off gases.

Grinspan: There is a protest sign from day one that claims, “STOP TRUMP AND RACIST REPUBLICANS.” As I discussed, this “MAGA BLACK” hat made by an African-American pastor in Virginia tells a very important story. And then there may be a kippah – a kippah worn by some Jewish men – that claims “TRUMP” on the front and “Republican Jewish Coalition” on the back. A kippah similar to the one worn by a speaker last night.