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Eighteenth-Century Campaigning
Before the days of instant communication via 24-hour cable news networks and the Internet, candidates for political office had to rely on personal contact with voters in order
to gain their support. In the eighteenth-century, the custom of "treating" was central to the campaign process. Candidates entertained prospective supporters with lavish
parties including plenty of food and free-flowing alcoholic beverages. These "entertainments" bring to mind the hoopla created by present-day political party conventions.
Author Lucille Griffith, quoting a letter to George Washington, describes how lively campaigns often made for memorable recreation in colonial America.
"Politically minded Virginians loved a good campaign; it broke the monotony of rural existence. 'We have dull barbeques,' wrote George Washington's former secretary, John Kirkpatrick, during the 1758 campaign, 'and yet duller dances. An election causes a hubbub for a week or so and then we are dead a while.' While the hubbub lasted, the 'flame of burgessing entered every heart' and elections took up the 'whole talk.'"
Source: Lucille Griffith. The Virginia House of Burgesses 1750-1774. Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama Press, 1970. pp. 63-64.
This article was written by Gloria Moeller, elementary school teacher, Lakeside, CA.
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