William Henry Harrison: Short-Lived

William Henry Harrison: Short-Lived

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are talking about William Henry Harrison. Although he was elected in 1840, many Americans still remember his catchy¹ campaign slogan: "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too."

"Tyler" referred to John Tyler, Harrison's partner on the ticket. In other words, Harrison was the candidate for president, and Tyler was the candidate for vice² president.

That seems straightforward³ enough. But "Tippecanoe"? That was Harrison's nickname. It came from a battle he had fought nearly 30 years before the presidential campaign.

At that time, Harrison led troops against an alliance of Native American tribes. The alliance was fighting white American settlers who were taking native people's territory.

Harrison and his men wanted to prevent the alliance from getting the supplies and warriors⁴ it needed to fight a long war. They planned to attack an important Native American base in what is today the state of Indiana.

But Native American warriors attacked first. They struck at dawn, when Harrison's men were still sleeping in a camp near the River Tippecanoe.

The battle was confused and bloody⁵. Many fighters on both sides died. After several hours, Harrison's troops pushed the Native American fighters away from the camp.

It was not really clear who won, but Harrison declared victory.

His presidential campaign reminded voters about the battle. The nickname "Tippecanoe" suggested Harrison was a simple yet tough westerner who would fight for white Americans.

But that image of Harrison was not entirely⁶ true.

Early life

Harrison did not come from a simple, western family.

Instead, he was the youngest child of a wealthy family from the southern state of Virginia. The Harrisons were active in the politics of the young nation. His father signed the Declaration of Independence and became the governor of Virginia.

Young William Harrison received a good education. But he did not want to become a doctor or lawyer. He joined the military instead.

Harrison succeeded quickly as an Army officer. He earned a reputation as an able leader in fights against Native Americans.

Harrison became the governor of what was known as Indiana Territory.

In that job, he persuaded Native Americans to enter into treaties that sold their land to the U.S. government – often for very little money.

Harrison's insistence⁷ on securing land for white settlers was one reason Native American tribes formed an alliance against the United States. A member of the Shawnee tribe, Tecumseh, was one of their most prominent leaders.

It was Tecumseh's men who fought against Harrison in the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Tecumseh's men clashed again with Harrison during the War of 1812 at a battle in Ontario, Canada near the River Thames.

In that battle, both the British and Native Americans were clearly defeated. Tecumseh was killed.

After that, the Native American alliance fell apart. And Harrison became famous again.

Political career

Although Harrison was a well-known fighter against Native Americans, he could not find lasting⁸ success as a politician.

He served briefly⁹ in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, but he did not stay in those positions long.

He struggled with debt. His home in Indiana was very expensive.

He also had to provide for his ten children.

The emotional cost of his family was also high: only four of his children lived past the age of 40.

In 1836, Harrison's fortunes seemed to change. A new party, called the Whigs, looked to him as a presidential candidate.

The Whigs strongly opposed President Andrew Jackson and his policies. They did not want Jackson's vice president and right-hand man, Martin Van Buren, to become president. But they understood that Jackson was very popular with everyday Americans.

So the Whigs thought that Harrison – a military hero from the west, just as Jackson was – would appeal to voters. (At the time, voting was limited mostly to white men.)

The Whigs nominated Harrison as one of their candidates.

Harrison did well – but not well enough. Van Buren won the 1836 election.

But the next election belonged to Harrison.

His campaign developed that memorable¹⁰ song about "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too."

Supporters also turned an insult against Harrison into an advantage.

Harrison's opposition¹¹ said he would be happy to spend the rest of his life just sitting in a log cabin and drinking hard cider – an alcoholic¹² drink made from apples.

The opposition wanted to suggest that Harrison was not really interested in becoming president and working hard for the American people.

But Harrison's supporters used the images of a log cabin and hard cider to portray¹³ Harrison as a humble¹⁴ man who could relate to common Americans.

The plan was a success: Harrison won the election.

A surprising turn of events

At 68, Harrison was the oldest person yet to take office.

On his Inauguration¹⁵ Day, he reportedly wanted to show that he was strong enough to serve as president by delivering a very long speech without wearing a coat or hat.

Several weeks later, Harrison became sick. He complained of many problems: anxiety, fatigue¹⁶, and pain in his stomach.

His health grew worse and worse.

One month after he was sworn-in, Harrison died. It was the first time in the country's history that a president had died in office.

The event raised many questions about who would become president. That question is answered in the next episode of this series.

For future generations, it also raised a question about what Harrison died of. The traditional story is that his long inaugural¹⁷ speech led to a fatal pneumonia¹⁸.

But researchers in 2014 proposed a different reason.

Jane McHugh and Philip Mackowiak wrote in the New York Times that, while Harrison was in office, Washington, DC did not have a good sewer¹⁹ system. Human waste "simply flowed onto public grounds a short distance from the White House."

The researchers conclude that Harrison probably died from problems related to drinking dirty water in the president's house.

So, for Harrison, winning the White House may not have been good fortune at all.

Words in This Story

catchy - adj. appealing and easy to remember

slogan - n. a word or phrase that is easy to remember

prominent - adj. well known

right-hand man - n. very important assistant

advantage - n. a good position or condition more likely to succeed

[Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said that Harrison won the 1842 election. The election was in 1840.]

1 catchy   

adj.易记住的，诡诈的，易使人上当的

参考例句：

• We need a new slogan.The old one's not catchy enough.我们需要新的口号，旧的不够吸引人。
• The chorus is very catchy to say the least.副歌部分很容易上口。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

4 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

5 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

13 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

14 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

15 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

16 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

17 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

18 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

19 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。