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William Henry Harrison: American Indians
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As a two-term congressman and former territorial governor, William Henry Harrison could lay no claim to proven abilities in political leadership. But his reputation as a frontier Indian fighter and hero of the War of 1812 amply made up for that lack, and in 1840 the Whigs eagerly made him their presidential standard-bearer. In the so-called "hard cider" campaign that followed, Harrison's supporters celebrated his military prowess and combined it with homespun frontier imagery that was unprecedented for its carnival-like brouhaha. While discussion of real issues was avoided, that brouhaha proved sufficient in itself to win Harrison the presidency.
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NOTE: The section of The American President about William Henry Harrison is accompanied by an essay entitled A Manufactured Hero (From Philip Kunhardt, Jr., et. al., The American President [New York: Riverhead Books, 1999], pp. 18-23). It raises many questions that were the impetus for this lesson. What would it mean to manufacture a hero? Were Jackson and Harrison truly heroes in their time? Would their deeds be considered heroic today?
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Anxious to explore the opportunities he saw in the West, Harrison resigned his commission in 1798 to become secretary of the entire Northwest Territory. Appointed a delegate to represent the territory in Congress, Harrison drafted the first land law that opened up the West to pioneers and by this action added significantly to his political reputation. Following this service, he was named governor of what was called the Indiana Territory. In this capacity he negotiated a number of treaties with the Indian tribes that increased the original cessions. He ... secured a division of the eastern portion of the territory that created the new territories of Ohio and Indiana. As governor of the Indiana Territory, Harrison negotiated other grants from the Indians that virtually secured a peaceful frontier in the Northwest and thus opened up these rich farmlands to white settlement.
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Harrison took office on March 4, 1841. That day, Harrison delivered the longest inaugural speech in American history - in the bitter cold. Harrison quickly developed a cold which turned into pneumonia. Despite intensive medical treatment, Harrison died just one month later. He was the first president to die in office. To this day, his presidency was the shortest in American history - 32 days.
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Harrison ... collected about 10 companies of Indiana militia, and 2 or 3 companies from the Fort Knox garrison. Around 26 September, the army marched northward up the Wabash. A strong reconnaissance force of about 60 Kentucky mounted infantry under Major Wells and Lieutenant Berry headed the column, which marched in two files, led by the drums and musicians. The 250 men of the 4th regiment, commanded by Major Boyd, were at the front. Between them marched General Harrison and his staff. The militia, about 350 strong, followed next, commanded by Colonel Luke Decker, Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomews, Major Redman and Captain Spencer.
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The untimely death of Harrison was a disappointment to Whigs, who hoped to pass a revenue tariff and enact measures to support Henry Clay's American System. John Tyler, Harrison's successor and a long-time Democrat, abandoned the Whig agenda, leaving himself without a party.
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