"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -- Plato

How did leisure suits affect political campaigns? Why was the rooster once the symbol of the Democratic Party? What feminine freebies did Eisenhower lure women voters with? To find out, take a walk down 215 years of American campaign trails with the exhibit, "From George to George: Presidential Elections in the United States from 1789 to the Present."

On display from Sept. 10, 2004 to Jan. 20, 2005, this exhibition of political memorabilia at Southern Methodist University's Bridwell Library takes an in-depth look at the election process, with more than 200 items, including an array of art, posters, buttons, cartoons, household items, flags -- even Ross Perot's charts.

Today it's PACs, not parties, and television, not torches, that shape our campaigns. From the serious to the trivial, elections teach us about our enduring democracy -- so click the images on this presidential timeline to learn more:

1789 Sew Select		1828 Get the Party Started		1840 Whigs for Tea
1852 That's the Ticket		1860 A Thousand Points of Light		1864 Where's the Baby and the Dog?
1884 Cock of the Walk		1896 Silver and Gold		Pinning My Hopes
1920 The Roaring Twenties		1928 Honk If You Love Politics		1940 What Would Lady Bird Say?
1948 Masked Marvel		1952 Powder to The People		1960 The Personal Touch
1968 Three-Way Match		1976 Bye-Bye Buttons		1984 Reagan Country
1992 A Giant Sucking Sound		1996 America's Most Wanted
2000 Your Vote Matters