15 vintage photos of election night parties that show how Americans have celebrated democracy
Frank Olito
- Although election night will look a bit different this year thanks to the coronavirus, traditions on Election Day have not changed much since the early 1900s.
- Throughout the 1900s, people gathered in Times Square, convention halls, and town squares to await the results of the presidential election.
- It wasn't until the 1960 election that people began watching the results on TVs in their own homes.
Every four years, Americans come together to exercise their democratic right to vote. On the first Tuesday of November, people fill convention halls, host viewing parties, and patiently await the future of their country.
These traditions date back over 100 years, as people used to congregate in Times Square, attend formal dinner parties, and wear straw hats to celebrate election night.
Since this year's election night will be a bit different thanks to the coronavirus, take a look back at what the historic night looked like a century ago.
Back in the early 1900s, people stood outside newspaper offices to hear election results.
This photo was taken outside the New York Herald office in New York City as Americans waited to hear the news that William McKinley beat William Jennings Bryan in the 1900 presidential election.
To celebrate election night, some people held up signs in the streets of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to support Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.
People still use signs to get their message across today. In 1932, however, Roosevelt was running for his first term and people showed up on election night with signs that read, "Our Next President Franklin D. Roosevelt."
While some took to the streets to celebrate, others attended fancy events on the 1932 election night.
People packed the Grand Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel in New York City to watch live election results on a large screen. Since most of the people are cheering at the news that Roosevelt won, it's presumed the room is filled with Democrats.
In 1936, crowds gathering to celebrate the reelection of Roosevelt were much larger.
On the night of the '36 election, thousands of people packed Times Square to watch Roosevelt win the presidential election in the largest landslide at the time, according to New York Daily News. The crowds are similar to what we are used to today on New Year's Eve.
At the time, it was tradition to scream loudly in a last-ditch effort to convert voters on Election Day.
In this photo, a car of Democrats is photographed as they drive through a crowd of Communists, each trying to persuade the other to join their cause.
Some people even climbed lampposts in Times Square to celebrate the election.
The streets often become chaotic on election night, as some people celebrate the results and others come to protest. This year, for example, local communities are bracing for a chaotic election night.
When Roosevelt ran for president the fourth time, people still gathered in Times Square to celebrate the longest-serving president.
In 1944, a sailor held up a picture of FDR on election night in Times Square, while another man held up a newspaper that read, "FDR Leads in Early Returns."
Celebrations weren't confined to New York, though. In 1952, residents of Alabama created a confetti storm in honor of the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won in a landslide against Democrat Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.
That same year, people took to the bars to celebrate election night.
Although many bars will be closed this year thanks to the coronavirus, Americans love to drink on election night, especially champagne.
In the '50s, election night parties were filled with pom-poms.
While pom-poms are still used at big election night celebrations, we also have elaborate costumes that people can wear on the big night.
At the same time, other parties were filled with cheers.
The sounds of a successful election night have not changed.
However, there were also more formal election night parties during the '50s.
In this photo from a 1958 midterm election, voters enjoyed a sit-down dinner at an election party.
By the 1960s, most Americans owned a TV, so many stayed home to watch election night results.
In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy went up against Republican Richard Nixon in a historic campaign. Since TVs became popular in the '50s, this election had the first televised presidential debates. Similarly, most families gathered around their home TVs on election night.
When John F. Kennedy won the election, people gathered to celebrate and wore their straw boater hats.
On the night of Kennedy's election, two men were photographed wearing straw boater hats with American flags. These hats were popular at political events, according to The Washington Post.
Throughout the 1900s, big parties were common for election night, especially during the 1972 presidential election.
This photo was captured at the New Albany Hotel in Colorado, as 600 people filled the building to celebrate the historic election of President Richard Nixon.
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