Driving Political Opinion

The bumper sticker is about as American as apple pie.

As automobiles replaced the horse for daily transportation, Americans found ways to use their cars to not just get around but truly as a vehicle of free speech. The first automobiles didn’t have what we think of as a bumper, but when Henry Ford started to mass market his Model A in 1927, he not only put automobiles within the reach of thousands of people, but – as people began having auto accidents –  he added a metal guard to the front and rear end to provide some protection to the car body when it got bumped. In addition to its safety feature, the bumper became a mobile billboard where people could advertise a product or an idea.

The very first bumper advertisements were made of cardboard or metal and were secured to cars with wires or strings. They looked more like lisence plates than what we think of today as bumper stickers. But these were the prototypes of what would become the modern bumper sticker.