Retro Campaigns, an old favourite of the Buy Tees team, have just released three new tees to mark the beginning of a new series of presidential t-shirts, simply titled ‘American Legends’, this collection offers up a little good ol’ political nostalgia featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln himself, as well as Teddy Roosevelt, and someone I’m not familiar with (being a Brit) called William Henry Harrison, who apparently was the first showman in politics.
For those not familiar with RetroCampaigns.com you can read our previous reviews here and here. This makes our third feature on RC, perhaps we should ask for a freebie or two, and see if we can’t hold a contest for you lucky people. We’ll see. In the meantime let’s check out Abe and Teddy, oh and the other one heh…
Abe Lincoln Tee
 |
This snazzy little number is available as a ‘destroyed tee’ in heather for both men and women. It features an original image from Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 ‘Rail-Splitter’ presidential campaign. What I love about Retro Campaigns is the way they give you the full low-down on every t-shirt they produce, and more. If you scroll down this page you’ll see a potted history of Abe’s political career. He got the nickname Rail-Splitter because it was a well known fact at the time that splitting rails was one of his previous jobs. He’d also been a general store clerk, country lawyer, postmaster and surveyor, he was most certainly a man of the people who wasn’t afraid to muck in. I was about to say not afraid to get his hands dirty but that’s probably not an appropriate way to describe a good politician these days. They are far and few between, what’s more most of them out there have probably got their hands dirty, but for all the wrong reasons! Most famous for his objections and eventual dismantling of the cruel practice of slavery during the American Civil War. Buy and wear a tribute to the visionary that was Abe Lincoln for $29.95 in sizes small to XL here.
Teddy Roosevelt Tee
 |
Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt is another historically highly progressive politician of his time. What’s more he has a rather unique claim to fame, the fact is the ‘teddy bear’ was named after him. He was the 5th cousin to America’s 32nd President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This particular tee is from his 1912 campaign, nicknamed the ‘Bull Moose Party’. He was the first man to invite an African American to the Whitehouse, the esteemed Booker T. Washington – an educator, orator, author and a dominant leader of the nation’s African-American community from the 1890s to his death. as a member of the Civil Service Commission and later as New York City Police Commissioner, to root out corruption, promote fairness and eradicate cronyism and patronage. Roosevelt believed each individual deserved a fair chance; with the playing field levelled, each man is responsible for his own success or failure. Get your Bull Moose tee for $29.95 in all sizes for men and women here.
Tippecanoe and Tyler Too Tee
 |
Like I’ve mentioned I know very little about William Henry Harrison, you can read all about him at Retro Campaigns. However I think I get the gist of it, he picked on a few Native Americans, he sang songs about himself, he won a landslide vote and then died of pneumonia a month later. I suppose I’m not a fan for the main reason that there’s just too much self-grandiosing and entertainment value in politics these days. It’s a personality game, with the exception of unelected UK prime minister Gordon Brown who has absolutely no personality, nor soul most likely. I think the political arena is more about distraction technique than solving the country’s problems. Even those with the best intentions can’t manage such a mammoth task. Next time you vote, if your favourite candidate is an all-round showman, they probably haven’t a clue about politics. That’s the plain truth. Get this tee in all sizes for men and women at $29.95 here.
As usual there are plenty more presidential tees on offer in all eras at www.RetroCampaigns.com.