The Business of America Is ... Politics

Purveyors of political merchandise--ribbons, uniforms, flags, books, and posters--were not the only businesses to take part in the campaign. As we see here, numerous firms used the election as a way to hawk their products, often in a comic vein. As the makers of Quaker bitters instructed, “Take Quaker Bitters before and after voting for President. A safe, sure, and pleasant remedy.” A competing product, Hood's Sarsparilla, was even more specific: "Campaign excitement, combined with hot weather, has a very depressing effect, both upon body and mind. Hood's Sarsparilla is the great remedy for giving strength to the body and purifying the blood. In fact, either political party, to ensure success, must take HOOD'S SARSPARILLA."