William Henry Harrison: Short-Lived
2023-04-23
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1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
2Today we are talking about William Henry Harrison.
3Although he was elected in 1840, many Americans still remember his catchy campaign slogan: "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too."
4"Tyler" referred to John Tyler, Harrison's partner on the ticket.
5In other words, Harrison was the candidate for president, and Tyler was the candidate for vice president.
6That seems straightforward enough.
7But "Tippecanoe"? That was Harrison's nickname.
8It came from a battle he had fought nearly 30 years before the presidential campaign.
9At that time, Harrison led troops against an alliance of Native American tribes.
10The alliance was fighting white American settlers who were taking native people's territory.
11Harrison and his men wanted to prevent the alliance from getting the supplies and warriors it needed to fight a long war.
12They planned to attack an important Native American base in what is today the state of Indiana.
13But Native American warriors attacked first.
14They struck at dawn, when Harrison's men were still sleeping in a camp near the River Tippecanoe.
15The battle was confused and bloody.
16Many fighters on both sides died.
17It was not really clear who won, but Harrison declared victory.
18His presidential campaign reminded voters about the battle.
19The nickname "Tippecanoe" suggested Harrison was a simple yet tough westerner who would fight for white Americans.
20But that image of Harrison was not entirely true.
21Harrison did not come from a simple, western family.
22Instead, he was the youngest child of a wealthy family from the southern state of Virginia.
23The Harrisons were active in the politics of the young nation.
24His father signed the Declaration of Independence and became the governor of Virginia.
25Young William Harrison received a good education.
26But he did not want to become a doctor or lawyer.
27He joined the military instead.
28Harrison succeeded quickly as an Army officer.
29He earned a reputation as an able leader in fights against Native Americans.
30Harrison became the governor of what was known as Indiana Territory.
31In that job, he persuaded Native Americans to enter into treaties that sold their land to the U.S. government - often for very little money.
32Harrison's insistence on securing land for white settlers was one reason Native American tribes formed an alliance against the United States.
33A member of the Shawnee tribe, Tecumseh, was one of their most prominent leaders.
34It was Tecumseh's men who fought against Harrison in the Battle of Tippecanoe.
35Tecumseh's men clashed again with Harrison during the War of 1812 at a battle in Ontario, Canada near the River Thames.
36In that battle, both the British and Native Americans were clearly defeated.
37Tecumseh was killed.
38After that, the Native American alliance fell apart.
39And Harrison became famous again.
40Although Harrison was a well-known fighter against Native Americans, he could not find lasting success as a politician.
41He served briefly in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but he did not stay in those positions long.
42He struggled with debt.
43His home in Indiana was very expensive.
44He also had to provide for his ten children.
45The emotional cost of his family was also high: only four of his children lived past the age of 40.
46In 1836, Harrison's fortunes seemed to change.
47A new party, called the Whigs, looked to him as a presidential candidate.
48The Whigs strongly opposed President Andrew Jackson and his policies.
49They did not want Jackson's vice president and right-hand man, Martin Van Buren, to become president.
50But they understood that Jackson was very popular with everyday Americans.
51So the Whigs thought that Harrison - a military hero from the west, just as Jackson was - would appeal to voters.
52(At the time, voting was limited mostly to white men.)
53The Whigs nominated Harrison as one of their candidates.
54Harrison did well - but not well enough.
55Van Buren won the 1836 election.
56But the next election belonged to Harrison.
57His campaign developed that memorable song about "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too."
58Supporters also turned an insult against Harrison into an advantage.
59Harrison's opposition said he would be happy to spend the rest of his life just sitting in a log cabin and drinking hard cider - an alcoholic drink made from apples.
60The opposition wanted to suggest that Harrison was not really interested in becoming president and working hard for the American people.
61But Harrison's supporters used the images of a log cabin and hard cider to portray Harrison as a humble man who could relate to common Americans.
62The plan was a success: Harrison won the election.
63At 68, Harrison was the oldest person yet to take office.
64On his Inauguration Day, he reportedly wanted to show that he was strong enough to serve as president by delivering a very long speech without wearing a coat or hat.
65Several weeks later, Harrison became sick.
66He complained of many problems: anxiety, fatigue, and pain in his stomach.
67His health grew worse and worse.
68One month after he was sworn-in, Harrison died.
69It was the first time in the country's history that a president had died in office.
70The event raised many questions about who would become president.
71That question is answered in the next episode of this series.
72For future generations, it also raised a question about what Harrison died of.
73The traditional story is that his long inaugural speech led to a fatal pneumonia.
74But researchers in 2014 proposed a different reason.
75Jane McHugh and Philip Mackowiak wrote in the New York Times that, while Harrison was in office, Washington, DC did not have a good sewer system.
76Human waste "simply flowed onto public grounds a short distance from the White House."
77The researchers conclude that Harrison probably died from problems related to drinking dirty water in the president's house.
78So, for Harrison, winning the White House may not have been good fortune at all.
79I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents. 2Today we are talking about William Henry Harrison. Although he was elected in 1840, many Americans still remember his catchy campaign slogan: "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." 3"Tyler" referred to John Tyler, Harrison's partner on the ticket. In other words, Harrison was the candidate for president, and Tyler was the candidate for vice president. 4That seems straightforward enough. But "Tippecanoe"? That was Harrison's nickname. It came from a battle he had fought nearly 30 years before the presidential campaign. 5At that time, Harrison led troops against an alliance of Native American tribes. The alliance was fighting white American settlers who were taking native people's territory. 6Harrison and his men wanted to prevent the alliance from getting the supplies and warriors it needed to fight a long war. They planned to attack an important Native American base in what is today the state of Indiana. 7But Native American warriors attacked first. They struck at dawn, when Harrison's men were still sleeping in a camp near the River Tippecanoe. 8The battle was confused and bloody. Many fighters on both sides died. After several hours, Harrison's troops pushed the Native American fighters away from the camp. 9It was not really clear who won, but Harrison declared victory. 10His presidential campaign reminded voters about the battle. The nickname "Tippecanoe" suggested Harrison was a simple yet tough westerner who would fight for white Americans. 11But that image of Harrison was not entirely true. 12Early life 13Harrison did not come from a simple, western family. 14Instead, he was the youngest child of a wealthy family from the southern state of Virginia. The Harrisons were active in the politics of the young nation. His father signed the Declaration of Independence and became the governor of Virginia. 15Young William Harrison received a good education. But he did not want to become a doctor or lawyer. He joined the military instead. 16Harrison succeeded quickly as an Army officer. He earned a reputation as an able leader in fights against Native Americans. 17Harrison became the governor of what was known as Indiana Territory. 18In that job, he persuaded Native Americans to enter into treaties that sold their land to the U.S. government - often for very little money. 19Harrison's insistence on securing land for white settlers was one reason Native American tribes formed an alliance against the United States. A member of the Shawnee tribe, Tecumseh, was one of their most prominent leaders. 20It was Tecumseh's men who fought against Harrison in the Battle of Tippecanoe. 21Tecumseh's men clashed again with Harrison during the War of 1812 at a battle in Ontario, Canada near the River Thames. 22In that battle, both the British and Native Americans were clearly defeated. Tecumseh was killed. 23After that, the Native American alliance fell apart. And Harrison became famous again. 24Political career 25Although Harrison was a well-known fighter against Native Americans, he could not find lasting success as a politician. 26He served briefly in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but he did not stay in those positions long. 27He struggled with debt. His home in Indiana was very expensive. 28He also had to provide for his ten children. 29The emotional cost of his family was also high: only four of his children lived past the age of 40. 30In 1836, Harrison's fortunes seemed to change. A new party, called the Whigs, looked to him as a presidential candidate. 31The Whigs strongly opposed President Andrew Jackson and his policies. They did not want Jackson's vice president and right-hand man, Martin Van Buren, to become president. But they understood that Jackson was very popular with everyday Americans. 32So the Whigs thought that Harrison - a military hero from the west, just as Jackson was - would appeal to voters. (At the time, voting was limited mostly to white men.) 33The Whigs nominated Harrison as one of their candidates. 34Harrison did well - but not well enough. Van Buren won the 1836 election. 35But the next election belonged to Harrison. 36His campaign developed that memorable song about "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." 37Supporters also turned an insult against Harrison into an advantage. 38Harrison's opposition said he would be happy to spend the rest of his life just sitting in a log cabin and drinking hard cider - an alcoholic drink made from apples. 39The opposition wanted to suggest that Harrison was not really interested in becoming president and working hard for the American people. 40But Harrison's supporters used the images of a log cabin and hard cider to portray Harrison as a humble man who could relate to common Americans. 41The plan was a success: Harrison won the election. 42A surprising turn of events 43At 68, Harrison was the oldest person yet to take office. 44On his Inauguration Day, he reportedly wanted to show that he was strong enough to serve as president by delivering a very long speech without wearing a coat or hat. 45Several weeks later, Harrison became sick. He complained of many problems: anxiety, fatigue, and pain in his stomach. 46His health grew worse and worse. 47One month after he was sworn-in, Harrison died. It was the first time in the country's history that a president had died in office. 48The event raised many questions about who would become president. That question is answered in the next episode of this series. 49For future generations, it also raised a question about what Harrison died of. The traditional story is that his long inaugural speech led to a fatal pneumonia. 50But researchers in 2014 proposed a different reason. 51Jane McHugh and Philip Mackowiak wrote in the New York Times that, while Harrison was in office, Washington, DC did not have a good sewer system. Human waste "simply flowed onto public grounds a short distance from the White House." 52The researchers conclude that Harrison probably died from problems related to drinking dirty water in the president's house. 53So, for Harrison, winning the White House may not have been good fortune at all. 54I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 55______________________________________________________________ 56See how well you understand the story by taking this listening quiz. 57____________________________________________________________ 58Words in This Story 59catchy - adj. appealing and easy to remember 60slogan - n. a word or phrase that is easy to remember 61prominent - adj. well known 62right-hand man - n. very important assistant 63advantage - n. a good position or condition more likely to succeed 64[Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said that Harrison won the 1842 election. The election was in 1840.]