The Election of 1840
During the 1840 presidential campaign, the Whigs emphasized personalities over issues. They tried to win over the average person. Harrison had been the son of a plantaion owner, but because he had settled on a farm in Ohio, the Whigs siad that he was a true Westerner. They used symbols of the west, such as a log cabin, to represent Harrison. They contrasted Harrison to the wealthy President Van Buren to get the common person to vote Harrison. Harrison ended up winning the election.
At the time, Harrison was 68 years old. At his inauguration he spoke for almost 2 hours, in the freezing March weather with no coat or hat. He later got caught in the rain. He got a cold, that escalated into pneumonia. One month after his inauguration, Harrison died on April 4, 1841. this was the first case of a president dying in office. Since Tyler was the vice-president, he became the president. The 1840 election showed the importance of the West in American politics.
This picture is the death of William Henry Harrison. It is found at http://www.worldalmanac.com/blog/harrison.jpg.
