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Our Rich History: Speaking of politics, are we seeing the past repeat itself in a presidential race?


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William Henry Harrison, campaign poster, 1840, from the Library of Congress. Below the
illustration is the following text: “This Log Cabin was the first building erected on the North Bend of the beautiful Ohio River, with the barrel of cider outside and the door always open to the traveller. The wounded soldier is one of Gen. Harrison’s comrades, meeting him after his celebrated Victory of Tippecanoe and not only does the brave old Hero give his comrade a hearty welcome, but his dog recognizes him as an old acquaintance, and repeats the welcome by a cordial and significant shake of his tail! If the looker-on will only watch close enough he can see the tail absolutely shake in the picture, particularly on a clear day, and if it is held due East and West, so, as to feel the power of the magnetic attraction from the Great West.”

By Steve Preston
Special to NKyTribune

Let’s talk politics. 

The two candidates running for the presidency can be described in this way.  One is a member of the Washington elite, vetted by the former president, and is both a former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator from New York.  The other is a wealthy man trying to run as the crusader for the “common man,” sick of a government that is not listening to them. 

That sound about right? 

What if I told you I was talking about Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison on the campaign trail of 1840?



The quest for the presidency in 1840 was between the incumbent Democrat and President Martin Van Buren, and Whig candidate William Henry Harrison.  Van Buren was a New York native who had been a senator and later, the Secretary of State, appointed by Andrew Jackson.  Harrison was a wealthy Virginia native whose grandfather signed the Declaration of Independence.  He was known as an Indian Fighter, “Old Tippecanoe,” and Governor of the Indiana Territory. Harrison’s permanent home was located in North Bend, Ohio, just west of Cincinnati

.

The Presidential Election of 1840 bears a striking resemblance to that of our current election cycle. 

Van Buren was at the helm during an economic downturn that led to the polarization of political opinion.  Battle lines were drawn, and, once again, the two-party system came to life.

Martin Van Buren campaign poster, 1840, from the Library of Congress

Martin Van Buren campaign poster, 1840, from the Library of Congress

Politically biased newspapers sprang up or were purchased by the two political parties to extoll the virtues of their candidate, while disparaging the other.  Accusations of media bias flew from both sides. 

Harrison became the first presidential candidate to speak on his own to the public.  He also eschewed the flowery oratory of the past and spoke in a frank, direct way about the issues. He called the current government a “monarchy,” and promised that he would curtail the power of the presidency. 

He referred to himself as a simple farmer and stated that, “I say what I think.” 

Sitting president, Martin Van Buren, was castigated for being part of the “establishment,” prolonging the suffering of the common man.



The political rallies leading up to the 1840 election were boisterous and well attended. 

A Whig rally in Cincinnati was estimated to have 100,000 people in attendance with a parade stretching nearly three miles long. 

John Quincy Adams, who was in attendance, commented on the crowd’s “state of agitation” and their “belligerent and aggressive nature.”  These rallies often were helped along in their boisterousness by the liberal distribution of hard cider. The singing of campaign songs and slogans by drunken revelers often wafted through the air to add to the din.



When the dust settled, William Henry Harrison found himself elected the ninth President of the United States.  As most know, his tenure did not last long.  Harrison fell ill after delivering his inaugural address.  He never recovered.  Harrison was in office for only 32 days.

He has the unfortunate distinction of the shortest tenure and being the first president to die in office. 

What Harrison managed to accomplish reached far beyond his 32 days in office.  The modern campaign had been born. 

Replete with slogans, songs, memorabilia, public appearances by the candidate, manipulation of the media, and the use of negative campaigning, the precedent had been set for campaigns to follow.


Steve Preston is the Education Director and a Curator of History at Heritage Village Museum.


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