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.