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The Country Grows Larger. 1841-1859. The Election of 1840. Martin “Van Ruin” looses in a landslide Tippecanoe & Tyler too New campaign methods Parades Leaflets B illboards The Whigs win!. A Short Presidency. Harrison gives the longest inaugural speech in history
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The Country Grows Larger 1841-1859
The Election of 1840 • Martin “Van Ruin” looses in a landslide • Tippecanoe & Tyler too • New campaign methods • Parades • Leaflets • Billboards • The Whigs win!
A Short Presidency • Harrison gives the longest inaugural speech in history • He gets sick and dies 32 days later • The country is stunned • The Whigs have a problem on their hands: the Vice President
John Tyler • John Tyler becomes our 10th President • A strong minded Virginian aristocrat • Battles with his own party • Few accomplishments during his presidency
Election of 1844 • James Polk: Dark horse candidate from Tennessee in 1844 • Campaigns on theme of Manifest Destiny • Slogan: 54-40 or fight • Polk defeats Henry Clay
Ongoing Trouble with Mexico • Texas is annexed in 1845 • Boundary dispute: Rio Grande or the Nueces? • The U.S. is rebuffed in its effort to buy California • This means WAR!
The Mexican War • War is declared in 1846 • Gen. Zachary Taylor “Old Rough & Ready” takes Buena Vista • Gen. Winfield Scott “Old Fuss & Feathers” conquers Mexico City • The war ends quickly
The Election of 1848 • Polk refuses to seek a second term • Slavery issue dominates the election • Whigs nominate General Zachary Taylor • Democrats nominate Lewis Cass • Free Soilers go with Martin Van Buren • “Old Rough & Ready” Wins!
Gold Rush Fever • John Sutter finds gold in California • Fortune seeking “Forty-Niners” rush to stake claims • Population explodes; crime and prices for goods rise • California becomes a state in 1850