Created to coincide with the 26 September 2008 presidential debate at the University of Mississippi, the original "Hail to the Chief!" exhibition appeared in the Faulkner Room of the Archives & Special Collections from August 2008 through August 2009. With the exception of eighteen framed presidential portraits, this online digital version duplicates that physical installation.
One section documents presidential elections in Mississippi between 1848 and 1968. Slavery and race are prominent electoral factors throughout this time span, and they are often leading causes in the shifting fortunes of political parties within the state.
Drawing from holdings throughout Special Collections, the exhibit also features a wide array of general presidential items from George Washington through Bill Clinton. These letters, photographs, scrapbooks, audio recordings, and ephemera cover topics as diverse as integration and inauguration to poker debts and the blues.
Leigh McWhite
Political Papers Archivist
University of Mississippi
