Fifty Four Forty or Fight!

The election of 1844 was faced with the ever growing challenge of maintaining balance in the Union. Slavery had become a hot topic and politicians struggled to keep the balance between the North and the South. With controversial issues on the plate, both parties were careful with how they marketed themselves to voters.

Polk and the Democratic Party utilized the line “Fifty Four Forty or Fight!” This line surprisingly includes one of the political goals of the party. Upon his nomination, Polk declared that he would support the annexation of Texas as a slave state. In order to maintain balance and please the northern voters, Polk promised to acquire land in the Northwest from the British. The purchase could be used to create a free state to balance out the Senate (the state eventually created was Oregon).

The area in question was known as the Oregon territory and laid between 42° south and 54°40’ north. The potential transaction with Britain did not have a set border and America wanted as much as it could and was willing to fight for the land. Although America was a relatively new nation and was already fighting Mexico in the South, the people rallied around the idea that they would own the Oregon Territory even if it meant another war with Britain. Eventually, the 49th parallel (approximately a halfway split) was decided as the final border without any fight occurring.

“Fifty Four Forty or Fight!” stands out as a slogan because it actively promotes a goal of the candidate. This tagline spreads the word about what the candidate will do instead of who the candidate is. Polk was not well known, therefore personal promotion would have been impractical.

Despite its political nature, “Fifty Four Forty or Fight!” remains catchy because of alliteration. Out of five words, four begin with “f.” Additionally, the middle three words repeat the “or” sound to feature assonance. Such repetition makes the line easy to remember and fun to repeat.

On the other side of the ballot, there was Henry Clay, the Whig candidate. His slogan, “Who is James K. Polk?” took advantage of the split in the Democratic Party. Former president Van Buren and Lewis Cass of Michigan were the foremost potential nominees for the Democratic Party. After Van Buren declared his opposition to the annexation of Texas, Cass’s support went up. In spite, Van Buren put his support behind James K. Polk, a dark horse candidate. Polk was relatively unknown in politics until his nomination, prompting the Whig party to poke fun of him with “Who is James K. Polk?” Clay’s slogan served no purpose other than bashing Polk; it did not advertise Clay’s policies or promote his personality. Ultimately, it labelled Polk as a wild card which the voters ended up taking.


"James K. Polk: Campaigns and Elections." Miller Center of Public Affairs. Ed. John C. Pinheiro. University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!

The election of 1840 was between William Henry Harrison and Martin Van Buren. Important issues of the time involved the possibility of a Second Bank of America and other national infrastructure concerns. Such issues were not very easy to communicate to the public, much less decide on which course of action was the best. As a result, the Whigs (Harrison’s political alignment) decided to avoid the conflict that would be caused by addressing politics and instead extol the virtues of their candidate. 

I would like to make it clear that promoting a candidate based on personal terms was not a new concept. In a twisted sense, presidency was always a sort of popularity contest. George Washington was unanimously declared president because who could compete with the general that just won America its freedom? Andrew Jackson was promoted for being a “common man” that grew up in a log cabin (and he won the Battle of New Orleans). The new aspect to the Harrison-Buren election was the method of communicating these virtues. I mean look at it (the slogan), it rhymes! To take it a step further, it was even turned into a song to be sung during rallies.

The Harrison campaign went full out on its public outreach. It provided parties and offered grandiose speeches and parades. To top it off was the catchy slogan/song “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too! “ In addition, the campaign ran a slogan against Martin Van Buren: “Van, Van, Van/Van is a used-up man.” This line (also rhymes!) refers to Van Buren’s first term as president. It asks voters to consider what Van Buren did in office and if they want more of him.

As you have noticed, Harrison is not directly mentioned at all in his slogan. However, at the time, Harrison was a well-known military hero of the French and Indian War and the War of 1812. Like Washington and Jackson, Harrison used his war accomplishments as a promoting point. The Battle of Tippecanoe was a victory over the Native Americans for Harrison. He may seem like the antagonist in the fight, but in context, tensions had been growing between the Natives and settlers. In addition, tensions with the British were growing and the Natives were accused (not always falsely) of allying with them. When the press presented the story of the battle to the public, the people of the still-young America were outraged at the attacks made by the Natives and proud of the victory achieved by Harrison.

Oddly enough, the slogan has the vice president candidate mentioned as well. During the time of the election, the inclusion of his name seemed to only serve to balance the rhythm of the slogan. However, one month into his presidency, Harrison succumbed to an illness leaving the office to his vice president, John Tyler. In hindsight, the slogan turned out to be a morbid prophecy; both of the people mentioned served in office.

This campaign set an example for future presidential candidates. It became the norm to promote the candidate instead of the policies. After all, who would prefer to hear politics over rhyme and song?

I Still Like Ike: Presidential Campaign Slogans

What is the best way to get someone to vote for you?

The most sensible idea would be to promise some plausible way to better the world.

But we are talking politics here, and politics rarely takes the most sensible path (at least from our point of view). Ever since presidential campaigns became widely publicized, the focus began to shift from actual politics to the charisma of a certain candidate (or lack of in the opponent). Flashy debates and appearances lead to all sorts of shameless self-promotion and brazen mudslinging. However, no matter what these appearances may do, elections come down to winning the people.

Often it was easiest to get the support of voters by creating a catchphrase or slogan to rally around. Each election features new taglines that try to garner the support of the people. Some campaigns communicate their platform through the slogan. Others use their slogan to simply promote themselves over their opponent or attack the rival outright.

The slogans that often stick and become the most popular are those that are clever. Some play with words, using rhymes or puns; these are quite catchy and easy to recite or chant. Some make references to the candidate’s background or history.

In the end, many slogans become a part of the identity of the president, for better or for worse.

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One of my favorite presidential slogans is “I Like Ike.” This simple phrase was efficient and catchy. In fact, TIME has listed it as one of the top 10 campaign ads. The line described the voting audiences attitude towards the candidate. As a result, it was emblazoned on much of the Eisenhower campaign paraphernalia. 

“I Like Ike” presented a statement that the party could stand behind. Before running for president, Eisenhower was an esteemed general of World War 2. His victories in Europe helped bring an end to the war. His status as a military hero helped him garner support, especially in the post-war era with all the US citizens feeling particularly patriotic. The nickname “Ike” showed that the people’s comfort with the candidate. Best of all, “I Like Ike” rhymes!

When President Eisenhower ran for a second term, the slogan came back in a slightly modified form: "I Still Like Ike." As they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Eisenhower had done a respectable job in the White House during his first term so his campaign recycled the original campaign line.

But this time, the line can no longer be interpreted as a statement of vague support. The addition of the word “still” communicates the idea that President Eisenhower had done a good job; there were no reasons to have regrets over voting for him. It offers support for the president’s reelection campaign and the policies promoted by the president during his first term.

This simple adaptation was just as popular as the first (it still rhymes!) and showed a new sense of comfort with President Eisenhower.