The Log Cabin Campaign of 1840 : Images and Propaganda
The Whig Party’s Campaign for William Henry Harrison as president is often called the first “modern” campaign, due to its extensive use of marketing among the masses. The campaign, also known as the “Log Cabin Campaign”, targeted the common man - the same idea that Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren used previously in order to win the presidency.
Harrison’s political campaign introduced several key ideas to elections. One of them would be to use a symbol, which for Harrison would be the log cabin. The log cabin symbol was effective because log cabins were often associated with “the common man” - people who had humble and poor backgrounds. In addition, his supporters created slogans such as “Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too”, which quickly became very popular. The slogan refers to John Tyler, Harrison’s running mate, as well as the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, where the US Army, led by Harrison, defeated several Native American Tribes. The Whig party also portrayed Harrison’s opponent Van Buren as a wealthy and out-of-touch aristocrat and sharply criticize his handling of a financial crisis known as the Panic of 1837.
The reality however, was far from the information spread by his campaign. Harrison image as a “common man” was completely false. He was born in a mansion on a large Virginia Plantation, and he lived in a large house in Indiana when he was nominated for Presidency. Van Buren, on the other hand, actually had a humble background.
Regardless of the truth, the imagery and propaganda excited voters and won over their emotions. This is evident in the voter turnout that increased form 54% in 1836 to 77% in 1840. Harrison would end up soundly defeating Van Buren in the elections. He had an estimated 53% of the popular vote and 234 electoral votes to Van Buren’s 60.
Although Harrison’s presidency would end one month after his inauguration due to his death by pneumonia, his campaign tactics would have an impact on many political campaign in the future. Usage of powerful symbols, catchy slogans, and messages designed to persuade the common man would become widely incorporated into future political campaigns.
Sources:
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/01/17/the-presidency-was-his-for-a-song
Nice post Jerry, this was interesting because I've never heard of William Henry Harrison before. Something that surprised me was the high voter turnout of the 1840 election; in 2016 only 58% of eligible voters voted in presidential election. It's hard to tell if there will ever be another election with a voter turnout of 77%, but recent trends suggest that the voting percentage will only get lower and lower.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/voter-turnout-2016-elections