1 00:00:01,410 --> 00:00:07,890 Sharon McMahon: He really wanted to restore America to what he 2 00:00:07,890 --> 00:00:11,550 viewed as its proper constitutional balance, as an 3 00:00:11,550 --> 00:00:15,060 antidote to everything that had happened in the era of 4 00:00:15,060 --> 00:00:18,720 Jacksonian democracy, as a counterpoint to everything that 5 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:23,160 had been happening with old Van Ruin over here. He viewed 6 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,555 himself as the person who could right the ship. 7 00:00:27,555 --> 00:00:32,385 On a cold and blustery day in March 1841, William Henry 8 00:00:32,385 --> 00:00:37,005 Harrison stood before a crowd of 1000s and delivered the longest 9 00:00:37,005 --> 00:00:41,655 inaugural address in American history. Few men were better 10 00:00:41,655 --> 00:00:46,005 prepared for the presidency. The 68-year-old Harrison had been a 11 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:50,220 soldier, a senator, an ambassador, and a governor 12 00:00:50,220 --> 00:00:54,360 before his election to the nation's highest office. He was 13 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,260 also the last man who had been born a British subject to win 14 00:00:58,260 --> 00:01:03,270 the presidency. While refusing to wear a coat and gloves in the 15 00:01:03,270 --> 00:01:07,110 frigid weather, Harrison reminded his fellow Americans 16 00:01:07,110 --> 00:01:10,815 what the revolutionary generation had won, and what 17 00:01:10,815 --> 00:01:17,865 could be easily lost. And then, only a month later, he was dead. 18 00:01:17,865 --> 00:01:22,095 Yet, as today's guest Sharon McMahon argues, the shortest 19 00:01:22,095 --> 00:01:26,835 presidency left a lasting legacy. So, what might we learn 20 00:01:26,835 --> 00:01:31,575 from Harrison's last will and testament? I'm Colleen Shogan, 21 00:01:31,665 --> 00:01:35,610 and this is In Pursuit, a podcast that explores lessons 22 00:01:35,610 --> 00:01:40,530 from America's past to rate the history of America's future. 23 00:01:40,530 --> 00:01:48,450 Episode eight: William Henry Harrison delivers a warning. 24 00:01:48,450 --> 00:01:50,730 Sharon McMahon, welcome to In Pursuit. 25 00:01:50,730 --> 00:01:52,620 I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for inviting me. 26 00:01:52,620 --> 00:01:54,900 Colleen Shogan: We're talking about William Henry Harrison 27 00:01:54,900 --> 00:01:59,145 today, perhaps best known for dying one month into his 28 00:01:59,145 --> 00:02:03,015 presidency, but there's more to him than just that. Tell us 29 00:02:03,015 --> 00:02:06,465 about his early life before he became president of the United 30 00:02:06,465 --> 00:02:07,125 States. 31 00:02:07,125 --> 00:02:10,695 Sharon McMahon: Despite Harrison's image as sort of a 32 00:02:10,695 --> 00:02:16,185 log cabin dwelling man from the Northwest Territories, Harrison 33 00:02:16,185 --> 00:02:19,005 was actually born into the Virginia planter class. His 34 00:02:19,005 --> 00:02:22,320 father was a founding father of the United States and signed the 35 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,430 Declaration of Independence. They were a slaveholding family, 36 00:02:26,430 --> 00:02:30,390 so he really grew up seeing his father as the governor of 37 00:02:30,390 --> 00:02:33,870 Virginia. So he didn't have humble origins, despite trying 38 00:02:33,870 --> 00:02:38,010 to portray himself in that way later on in his career. When he 39 00:02:38,010 --> 00:02:43,245 is 18, his father dies and leaves his older siblings with 40 00:02:43,245 --> 00:02:46,875 all of the inheritance, leaving very little for him. And he had 41 00:02:46,875 --> 00:02:49,575 wanted to become a physician, and in fact went to the 42 00:02:49,575 --> 00:02:51,945 University of Pennsylvania to study medicine. But when his 43 00:02:51,945 --> 00:02:55,365 father dies and leaves him little money, this of course was 44 00:02:55,365 --> 00:02:58,965 before things like student loans existed, and so he did not have 45 00:02:58,965 --> 00:03:02,085 the means to continue his medical studies, so he 46 00:03:02,085 --> 00:03:06,450 ultimately drops out, joins the army, and that ended up being 47 00:03:06,450 --> 00:03:10,380 very fateful decision because being in the army catapults him 48 00:03:10,380 --> 00:03:14,970 into national fame. So, how does he acquire the nickname "Old 49 00:03:14,970 --> 00:03:18,900 Tippy Canoe" or "Old Tip" That's related to his military service. 50 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:22,770 He was involved in a very contentious battle with a Native 51 00:03:22,770 --> 00:03:26,850 American tribe, the Shawnee. They were led by Tecumseh, and 52 00:03:26,850 --> 00:03:31,725 the Harrison men were camped on the shores of the Tippecanoe 53 00:03:31,785 --> 00:03:37,185 River. And this battle was so legendary that people around the 54 00:03:37,185 --> 00:03:40,365 country got word of it when they heard what had happened. When 55 00:03:40,365 --> 00:03:44,295 they heard of the victory that Harrison had clinched, they 56 00:03:44,295 --> 00:03:48,345 started, as people are wont to do, they started calling him by 57 00:03:48,345 --> 00:03:52,110 this nickname, Old Tippecanoe, and then of course Tippecanoe is 58 00:03:52,110 --> 00:03:55,530 a long word. It got shortened to Old Tip, and he made use of that 59 00:03:55,530 --> 00:03:57,030 later in his political career. 60 00:03:57,030 --> 00:04:01,590 Colleen Shogan: Harrison is an anti-Jacksonian, and he becomes 61 00:04:01,590 --> 00:04:05,490 a member of the newly formed Whig Party, which doesn't last 62 00:04:05,490 --> 00:04:09,900 that long in American history. But who were the Whigs, and what 63 00:04:09,900 --> 00:04:11,220 did they believe? 64 00:04:11,220 --> 00:04:15,495 Sharon McMahon: You're right that the Whigs were formed in 65 00:04:15,555 --> 00:04:20,205 response to who they viewed as King Andrew, and that, of 66 00:04:20,205 --> 00:04:24,345 course, is King Andrew Jackson. They viewed Andrew Jackson's 67 00:04:24,345 --> 00:04:30,495 expansion of executive power as being too monarchical, as being 68 00:04:30,495 --> 00:04:35,595 overreach from the design of the founders. So this was a 69 00:04:35,595 --> 00:04:39,090 coalition. The Whig Party was a coalition of people who would 70 00:04:39,090 --> 00:04:43,020 later become Republicans, of people who were disgruntled with 71 00:04:43,020 --> 00:04:47,250 the aspects of the Democratic Party, people who opposed 72 00:04:47,250 --> 00:04:52,140 Jackson's tactics and they opposed many of his domestic 73 00:04:52,140 --> 00:04:56,010 policies and formed their own party. And of course, we had 74 00:04:56,010 --> 00:05:00,045 several Whig presidents. That coalition eventually fell upon. 75 00:05:00,165 --> 00:05:02,595 And gave rise to the Republicans. 76 00:05:02,595 --> 00:05:04,785 Colleen Shogan: Now, when Harrison ran for the presidency 77 00:05:04,785 --> 00:05:08,595 in 1840, he's running against the sitting president Martin Van 78 00:05:08,595 --> 00:05:12,165 Buren. But what was on Americans' minds at that time? 79 00:05:12,165 --> 00:05:14,715 Sharon McMahon: People gave Martin Van Buren the nickname 80 00:05:14,715 --> 00:05:20,295 Martin Van Ruin because things were so fraught, especially in 81 00:05:20,295 --> 00:05:24,900 the economic sense, that people looked around and saw nothing 82 00:05:24,900 --> 00:05:28,380 but ruins when it came to the American economy. Despite 83 00:05:28,380 --> 00:05:32,100 Jackson being famous for having no national debt during his 84 00:05:32,100 --> 00:05:36,120 presidency, he actually created a number of the economic crises 85 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,480 that were then handed to his vice president when Van Buren 86 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:45,030 became president. So the Panic of 1837 is really at the top of 87 00:05:45,030 --> 00:05:48,345 people's minds. This is the worst economic conditions the 88 00:05:48,345 --> 00:05:51,795 country has ever faced, and would remain some of the worst 89 00:05:51,795 --> 00:05:55,155 economic conditions the country would face for nearly 100 years 90 00:05:55,155 --> 00:06:00,015 until the Great Depression. So not only do we have these very 91 00:06:00,015 --> 00:06:04,095 serious issues with bank failures, with collapsing 92 00:06:04,095 --> 00:06:08,355 credit, with business closures, with lack of security 93 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,460 surrounding the government's ability to handle these issues. 94 00:06:11,460 --> 00:06:17,160 We also have westward expansion being highly in top of mind for 95 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,690 many people. Tensions involving Native American groups, treaties 96 00:06:21,690 --> 00:06:26,040 with them, battles with them, the acquisition of territory, 97 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,880 and then Americans too. This is important to remember that 98 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,915 Americans have been grappling with what democracy actually 99 00:06:33,915 --> 00:06:38,985 means and looks like since before this country's inception, 100 00:06:38,985 --> 00:06:42,255 and they were still grappling with it during Harrison's rise 101 00:06:42,255 --> 00:06:42,975 to power. 102 00:06:42,975 --> 00:06:44,745 Colleen Shogan: Well, that's interesting. So, tell us more 103 00:06:44,745 --> 00:06:49,755 about how democracy had changed. We're in 1840 now, so that's 50 104 00:06:49,755 --> 00:06:54,585 years after the Constitution is into operation. So, how are 105 00:06:54,585 --> 00:06:58,440 things changed from 1789? 106 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,650 Sharon McMahon: The first thing that comes to mind is that most 107 00:07:01,650 --> 00:07:06,780 states had expanded voting rights to allow all white men to 108 00:07:06,780 --> 00:07:11,460 vote? You no longer needed to be a property owner as you did at 109 00:07:11,460 --> 00:07:15,060 the founding of the country. Now they did not expand voting 110 00:07:15,060 --> 00:07:18,600 rights to include women or any minority groups, but that also 111 00:07:18,645 --> 00:07:21,225 leads to another very interesting development, which 112 00:07:21,225 --> 00:07:26,415 is the founders never conceived of an electoral college system 113 00:07:26,415 --> 00:07:30,285 in which there was a winner take all, where all of one state's 114 00:07:30,285 --> 00:07:35,955 electors went to one candidate. They always viewed it in the 115 00:07:35,955 --> 00:07:40,905 founding era as every elector will be allowed to vote for whom 116 00:07:40,905 --> 00:07:44,400 they feel is the best candidate, and you can see that in early 117 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:48,090 election results. Sometimes the electoral votes are very split 118 00:07:48,090 --> 00:07:52,050 amongst candidates, so we have the consolidation of power in 119 00:07:52,050 --> 00:07:57,030 relationship to political parties. Political parties have 120 00:07:57,030 --> 00:08:02,640 become more influential in politics; they had become their 121 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:07,125 own sort of machine. Before the founding era, they had existed 122 00:08:07,125 --> 00:08:11,055 as sort of loose identifiers of you know I'm a Federalist, I'm 123 00:08:11,055 --> 00:08:16,215 an Anti-Federalist. There wasn't a party apparatus, but beginning 124 00:08:16,215 --> 00:08:20,745 in this era, we start to see the invention of these apparatuses 125 00:08:20,745 --> 00:08:23,325 surrounding political parties like the Whig Party, and this 126 00:08:23,325 --> 00:08:27,360 actually becomes something that concerns Harrison and that he 127 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,020 later speaks out against. But one other thing that I'll note 128 00:08:31,020 --> 00:08:35,130 about how democracy changed: it expanded voting rights to almost 129 00:08:35,130 --> 00:08:39,720 all white men, and voter turnout amongst white men is very 130 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:42,810 different than it is today. Voter turnout in the election in 131 00:08:42,810 --> 00:08:45,990 which Harrison was elected president, voter turnout was 132 00:08:45,990 --> 00:08:51,165 over 80% So we have a actually a very high buy-in amongst white 133 00:08:51,165 --> 00:08:54,705 men that they are meant to participate in democracy. 134 00:08:54,970 --> 00:08:56,620 Colleen Shogan: It's an extraordinary number. I read 135 00:08:56,710 --> 00:09:00,790 that as well. The 80% turnout compared to what our turnout 136 00:09:00,970 --> 00:09:04,170 overall is in today's even national elections are 137 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:05,280 presidential elections. 138 00:09:05,490 --> 00:09:07,440 Sharon McMahon: Yeah, I totally agree. I know political 139 00:09:07,470 --> 00:09:09,840 scientists have been studying this topic for decades about 140 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,560 what increases voter turnout, what decreases voter turnout, 141 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,220 and it is interesting that there was such high voter turnout 142 00:09:17,670 --> 00:09:22,220 despite the economic unrest. Often, when things are not going 143 00:09:22,310 --> 00:09:26,210 well politically, or there's a perceived lack of economic 144 00:09:26,630 --> 00:09:30,530 opportunity, you get less buy-in into the democratic process, and 145 00:09:30,530 --> 00:09:32,210 that was not the case in 1840. 146 00:09:32,570 --> 00:09:34,280 Colleen Shogan: Well, one of the reasons might have been that it 147 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:38,540 was such an interesting campaign in 1840. It was a different type 148 00:09:38,630 --> 00:09:43,510 of campaign. Tell us a little bit about how the campaign 149 00:09:43,570 --> 00:09:47,770 managers, particularly for William Henry Harrison, how did 150 00:09:47,830 --> 00:09:51,430 they approach 1840, and what were some of the things that 151 00:09:51,460 --> 00:09:56,260 they did to entice voters to support Harrison and Tyler and 152 00:09:56,290 --> 00:09:57,640 become engaged in the process? 153 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:00,300 Sharon McMahon: This is such an interesting campaign. Of course, 154 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:05,430 a lot of people point to the Jackson v. John Quincy Adams as 155 00:10:05,460 --> 00:10:09,360 the advent of sort of the modern campaign structure in which 156 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,570 candidates hated each other and actively insulted each other. 157 00:10:12,990 --> 00:10:17,730 But in this scenario, the political parties, specifically 158 00:10:18,030 --> 00:10:22,640 the Whig Party, developed a campaign strategy that involved 159 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:28,460 merch. It involved posters. It involved campaign rallies. It 160 00:10:28,490 --> 00:10:34,160 involved songs. It involved visual imagery, like a log cabin 161 00:10:34,250 --> 00:10:38,870 that was meant to be attached to people's perception of Harrison. 162 00:10:39,260 --> 00:10:44,020 I mentioned earlier that despite his log cabin roots, alleged log 163 00:10:44,110 --> 00:10:48,400 cabin roots, he actually didn't grow up in a log cabin, and all 164 00:10:48,490 --> 00:10:51,670 of these things created a certain amount of hype 165 00:10:52,210 --> 00:10:57,280 surrounding Harrison and his VP candidate John Tyler that had 166 00:10:57,340 --> 00:11:01,350 never been seen before. We're talking maple syrup, branded 167 00:11:01,470 --> 00:11:06,480 maple syrup in bottles, parades in which people built faux log 168 00:11:06,660 --> 00:11:10,860 cabin floats, rallies in which people stood and did their 169 00:11:11,220 --> 00:11:15,450 cheers. You know, campaign rallies are still popular today, 170 00:11:16,470 --> 00:11:20,160 and now they tend to use signature songs. You know, like 171 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,930 Kamala Harris's signature song was Beyonce's Freedom. That, of 172 00:11:24,020 --> 00:11:28,220 course, was not possible in 1840. But the people did have 173 00:11:28,490 --> 00:11:32,870 chants, and so the participants in these rallies would have 174 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,450 their chants and the songs that they would learn, that they 175 00:11:35,540 --> 00:11:39,500 would then repeat as parades went down the street. So all of 176 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:43,210 these things created a different amount of hype, and it was 177 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:48,190 positive hype for the candidate as opposed to the fighting 178 00:11:48,430 --> 00:11:51,520 amongst the candidates that you saw between Jackson and John 179 00:11:51,550 --> 00:11:52,150 Quincy Adams. 180 00:11:52,629 --> 00:11:54,999 Colleen Shogan: I mean, the management of his image is 181 00:11:55,329 --> 00:11:59,109 really extraordinary because, like you said, he was born of 182 00:11:59,139 --> 00:12:03,509 the Virginia elite, not in a log cabin. They portray him as sort 183 00:12:03,509 --> 00:12:07,529 of this hard scrabble, whiskey drinking guy, and he was really 184 00:12:07,709 --> 00:12:11,459 a scholar. And he also apparently really liked wine. So 185 00:12:13,259 --> 00:12:15,149 I don't know. That's a complete image makeover. 186 00:12:15,570 --> 00:12:17,340 Sharon McMahon: You know, like you can picture. I don't know. 187 00:12:17,790 --> 00:12:21,620 This wasn't true, but if he were born today, the maple syrup 188 00:12:21,710 --> 00:12:24,590 would come in a maple leaf-shaped bottle, like that's 189 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:27,410 the kind of vibes that were given out. But this was a jug 190 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:31,310 that had their campaign slogans on it, and so you would take 191 00:12:31,460 --> 00:12:34,010 this home. And of course, we all know that a bottle of maple 192 00:12:34,100 --> 00:12:37,640 syrup-it's precious, takes a lot of work to make, and you have it 193 00:12:37,670 --> 00:12:41,770 for a long time. It's not just eaten and thrown away. It's not 194 00:12:41,890 --> 00:12:45,190 quickly consumed. So you have this bottle with his campaign 195 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:49,840 slogan and his face on it at your house for months. That's 196 00:12:49,900 --> 00:12:51,220 actually really smart. 197 00:12:51,490 --> 00:12:52,120 Colleen Shogan: That is smart 198 00:12:52,180 --> 00:12:53,020 Sharon McMahon: branding. Yeah, 199 00:12:53,260 --> 00:12:53,650 Colleen Shogan: very smart. You 200 00:12:53,860 --> 00:12:55,780 Sharon McMahon: see his face every morning at breakfast. 201 00:12:57,010 --> 00:12:59,230 Colleen Shogan: So Harrison, why is he running for president? 202 00:12:59,260 --> 00:13:01,380 What does he want to do for the nation. 203 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:08,250 Sharon McMahon: He really wanted to restore America to what he 204 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:12,060 viewed as its proper constitutional balance, as an 205 00:13:12,210 --> 00:13:15,510 antidote to everything that had happened in the era of 206 00:13:15,660 --> 00:13:19,140 Jacksonian democracy, as a counterpoint to everything that 207 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:23,570 had been happening with old Van Ruyn over here, he viewed 208 00:13:23,660 --> 00:13:27,380 himself as the person who could right the ship, as the person 209 00:13:27,500 --> 00:13:31,970 who could realign the direction America was meant to point in. 210 00:13:32,630 --> 00:13:36,860 There are, I think, many things that we can look at his writings 211 00:13:36,950 --> 00:13:39,830 and his feelings that are instructive and valuable to 212 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,960 today. It's also worth pointing out. I think that throughout his 213 00:13:44,140 --> 00:13:49,750 political life, he advocated for, or at minimum tolerated, 214 00:13:49,780 --> 00:13:52,900 the idea of enslaving other individuals, and felt like every 215 00:13:53,110 --> 00:13:55,660 state should be allowed to choose for themselves how they 216 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,890 want to handle that issue. So, despite his advocacy for 217 00:13:59,950 --> 00:14:05,850 democracy, that did not extend to a fully inclusive democracy. 218 00:14:06,060 --> 00:14:09,960 It still, in his mind, meant democracy for white Americans. 219 00:14:14,750 --> 00:14:17,420 Colleen Shogan: Harrison is victorious. He defeats Martin 220 00:14:17,420 --> 00:14:21,860 Van Buren pretty handily in 1840. Let's fast forward to 221 00:14:21,860 --> 00:14:27,410 inauguration day on March 4, 1841 in Washington D.C. Take us 222 00:14:27,410 --> 00:14:30,140 there. What was that day like in our nation's capital? 223 00:14:30,140 --> 00:14:32,510 Sharon McMahon: What a day! It was a day that we're down in 224 00:14:32,510 --> 00:14:36,770 infamy, as they say. It's a very cold day. It's a very rainy day. 225 00:14:36,770 --> 00:14:40,265 The wind is blowing very hard. If you've been to D.C. in early 226 00:14:40,265 --> 00:14:43,175 March, the weather can be very fickle, can be beautiful, it can 227 00:14:43,175 --> 00:14:46,445 be absolutely terrible. And there were quotes from people 228 00:14:46,445 --> 00:14:50,465 who were there that talk about the cold being carried up the 229 00:14:50,465 --> 00:14:53,915 street, and that you know, no amount of wrapping yourself in 230 00:14:53,915 --> 00:14:58,535 your winter coat seemed to keep the chill at bay. So it is 231 00:14:58,535 --> 00:15:00,980 remarkable that despite the real. Bad weather that is 232 00:15:00,980 --> 00:15:05,780 happening that day. That crowds pack the streets. They are there 233 00:15:05,780 --> 00:15:09,950 to see old tip. They want to see this new era of American 234 00:15:09,950 --> 00:15:17,210 democracy be ushered in, and fatefully, Harrison decides that 235 00:15:17,210 --> 00:15:22,160 he is not going to wear appropriate attire, and this 236 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:27,125 became national news. His lack of appropriate attire for the 237 00:15:27,125 --> 00:15:31,685 weather is something that, for many many decades, if not more 238 00:15:31,685 --> 00:15:37,925 than a century, was cited as the reason for his death a month 239 00:15:37,925 --> 00:15:42,425 after he assumes the presidency. His lack of gloves, his lack of 240 00:15:42,425 --> 00:15:46,115 a warm coat. He does not dress himself appropriately, and at 241 00:15:46,115 --> 00:15:47,960 the time, people believed that caused illness. 242 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:50,540 Colleen Shogan: Well, why wouldn't he wear an overcoat and 243 00:15:50,540 --> 00:15:53,240 gloves? It was a cold day in Washington D.C. 244 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,010 Sharon McMahon: It's one of those things that we can 245 00:15:55,010 --> 00:15:59,600 speculate about, but our best guesses about why he is not 246 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:05,150 attired appropriately is he is old. This is the first thing. 247 00:16:05,150 --> 00:16:09,620 He's the oldest president ever elected at that point. He was 248 00:16:10,310 --> 00:16:13,625 60-eight years old, and I also think it's very interesting that 249 00:16:13,625 --> 00:16:18,215 his wife Anna is a couple of years younger than him, but she 250 00:16:18,215 --> 00:16:22,775 is so infirm that she actually does not make the journey to 251 00:16:22,775 --> 00:16:27,245 Washington D.C. for his inauguration, and in fact never 252 00:16:27,245 --> 00:16:31,415 got there before he died. So they sent along their 253 00:16:31,415 --> 00:16:34,250 daughter-in-law to help settle him into the White House and act 254 00:16:34,250 --> 00:16:37,910 as a White House hostess. The role of the First Lady was still 255 00:16:37,910 --> 00:16:41,450 evolving at the time, but that just speaks to the first thing 256 00:16:41,450 --> 00:16:46,670 is that they wanted him to appear vital and not elderly, 257 00:16:46,670 --> 00:16:46,880 like 258 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:48,410 Colleen Shogan: all bundled up or something. Right, 259 00:16:48,500 --> 00:16:50,810 Sharon McMahon: exactly. Like he's an old man who can't keep 260 00:16:50,810 --> 00:16:54,770 out the cold. He wants to appear like strapping and Kevin 261 00:16:54,770 --> 00:16:58,265 Costner-esque, you know, like set on the set of Yellowstone. 262 00:16:58,265 --> 00:17:02,015 So he wants to appear young and vital, given his age, I think it 263 00:17:02,015 --> 00:17:05,525 also has to do with the fact that he wants to be seen as a 264 00:17:05,525 --> 00:17:09,515 man of the frontier, and men of the frontier they don't need 265 00:17:09,515 --> 00:17:13,085 gloves. You know what I mean? A fancy overcoat, something that's 266 00:17:13,175 --> 00:17:14,495 Colleen Shogan: what a gentleman might wear. 267 00:17:14,495 --> 00:17:16,175 Sharon McMahon: Exactly. You know what I'm out here doing 268 00:17:16,175 --> 00:17:19,130 with these cows every morning? I don't need no gloves. You know, 269 00:17:19,130 --> 00:17:21,860 I'm of course making that up, but I think a lot of it had to 270 00:17:21,860 --> 00:17:25,790 do with the image that he wanted to project-that he was tough and 271 00:17:25,790 --> 00:17:27,380 young, strong. 272 00:17:27,380 --> 00:17:29,420 Colleen Shogan: So we don't have that much of the Harrison 273 00:17:29,420 --> 00:17:33,620 presidency to study because he only lasts 32 days in office, 274 00:17:33,620 --> 00:17:38,870 but we do have the inaugural address, which is the longest in 275 00:17:38,870 --> 00:17:42,305 American history. He goes for this probably also exacerbates 276 00:17:42,305 --> 00:17:46,055 the problem. He goes for about two hours for the inaugural 277 00:17:46,055 --> 00:17:49,895 address, but there's a lot of important messages contained in 278 00:17:49,895 --> 00:17:53,855 that address that you talk about in your essay for in pursuit. 279 00:17:53,855 --> 00:17:55,955 Tell us a little bit about those. 280 00:17:55,955 --> 00:17:59,255 Sharon McMahon: Yeah, his inaugural address was over 8400 281 00:17:59,255 --> 00:18:03,365 words, and Daniel Webster actually had the opportunity to 282 00:18:03,365 --> 00:18:07,430 edit it before he delivered it, and Daniel Webster bragged about 283 00:18:07,430 --> 00:18:14,090 having cut 17 different things from his address. So even though 284 00:18:14,090 --> 00:18:17,840 Daniel Webster does all of his editing, he still has 8400 words 285 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,930 to deliver, and as you can imagine, that's a very long time 286 00:18:20,930 --> 00:18:24,650 for the audience to stand there in the cold, listening to him 287 00:18:24,650 --> 00:18:30,035 speak. He hit on a few important themes that I think are worth 288 00:18:30,035 --> 00:18:33,215 remembering from somebody who was born. He was the last 289 00:18:33,215 --> 00:18:37,625 president born as a British subject. Again, his father is a 290 00:18:37,625 --> 00:18:40,715 founding father. All of the people he studied under in 291 00:18:40,715 --> 00:18:45,125 college, founding father, so he had a very unique perspective on 292 00:18:45,125 --> 00:18:47,735 these issues. But some of the themes that he talked about in 293 00:18:47,735 --> 00:18:51,110 his inaugural address were warnings about the separation of 294 00:18:51,110 --> 00:18:55,190 powers-that we cannot have too much power concentrated in the 295 00:18:55,190 --> 00:18:59,150 hands of any individual. This, of course, is a direct answer to 296 00:18:59,150 --> 00:19:03,140 Jacksonian democracy. We cannot have an executive that has 297 00:19:03,140 --> 00:19:06,830 unchecked power around the country. The next thing that he 298 00:19:06,830 --> 00:19:10,880 talked about was that majority rule has limits. Sometimes we 299 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:14,045 hear people talk about democracy as being mob rule, and that's 300 00:19:14,045 --> 00:19:17,015 not true in representative democracy. But it's still an 301 00:19:17,015 --> 00:19:21,275 idea that persists. In that, if you have two wolves and a sheep 302 00:19:21,275 --> 00:19:25,295 going for dinner. Guess what's going to get eaten? So this idea 303 00:19:25,295 --> 00:19:29,405 that the majority does rule in a democracy, but the majority's 304 00:19:29,405 --> 00:19:34,925 power has limits. It cannot just run amuck and completely 305 00:19:34,925 --> 00:19:38,750 disregard the rights of the minority. He also talks to 306 00:19:38,750 --> 00:19:43,760 people about being aware of political frauds, and these are 307 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:47,900 people that he viewed sort of as-he didn't use this phrase, 308 00:19:47,900 --> 00:19:50,900 but another way to phrase it might be a silver-tongued 309 00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:54,650 serpent. People who were co-opting or usurping the 310 00:19:54,650 --> 00:20:00,575 language of democracy in an effort to make themselves. Sound 311 00:20:00,575 --> 00:20:04,835 trustworthy, but in reality, they had ulterior motives. 312 00:20:04,835 --> 00:20:07,805 Colleen Shogan: A soft demagogue in the Federalist, a soft 313 00:20:07,805 --> 00:20:08,075 demagogue. 314 00:20:08,075 --> 00:20:14,165 Sharon McMahon: Yes. He talked about true liberty being mild 315 00:20:14,165 --> 00:20:21,515 and tolerant, and this spirit of the political fraud is harsh and 316 00:20:21,515 --> 00:20:26,960 vindictive, and intolerant and reckless. Those are the words he 317 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:31,010 used. So he's comparing and contrasting what American 318 00:20:31,010 --> 00:20:36,050 government should look like with what some people were attempting 319 00:20:36,050 --> 00:20:40,910 or did do in the past. And then the fourth thing that he warns 320 00:20:40,910 --> 00:20:44,300 about, which I think is an interesting warning, is about 321 00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:48,065 the danger of political parties, and it's an interesting warning 322 00:20:48,065 --> 00:20:52,145 because he became president because of a political party 323 00:20:52,145 --> 00:20:55,265 apparatus, as we were just talking about the merch and the 324 00:20:55,265 --> 00:20:58,715 rallies, and you know this entire organization that props 325 00:20:58,715 --> 00:21:04,115 him up. He warns that people should use vigilance to avoid 326 00:21:04,115 --> 00:21:07,535 the spirit of party, as people have talked about in American 327 00:21:07,535 --> 00:21:11,000 history. He is worried about the allegiance to, say, the 328 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,600 Democratic Party, which at the time Andrew Jackson had been at 329 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,800 the helm of, and people's allegiance to this party and the 330 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:23,360 person at the top of the party led them astray from the 331 00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:27,290 foundational civic virtues, as what he viewed American 332 00:21:27,290 --> 00:21:30,620 democracy should be. That's a lot to pack in, you know. One 333 00:21:30,620 --> 00:21:35,135 inaugural address. I think one of the things I take away is 334 00:21:35,135 --> 00:21:40,535 something that he said: that party loyalty must never replace 335 00:21:40,535 --> 00:21:44,645 loyalty to democratic principles, and this is a 336 00:21:44,645 --> 00:21:47,795 concept that I am still talking about today. That the principles 337 00:21:47,795 --> 00:21:52,325 of democracy should have higher allegiance in our consciousness 338 00:21:52,325 --> 00:21:55,055 than the allegiance to any political organization. 339 00:21:55,055 --> 00:21:56,750 Colleen Shogan: Well, a lot of his observations are very 340 00:21:56,750 --> 00:21:59,690 relevant to what we're facing today, and some of the 341 00:21:59,690 --> 00:22:00,500 challenges. 342 00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:02,690 Sharon McMahon: Absolutely. Again, it speaks to the idea 343 00:22:02,690 --> 00:22:05,690 that Americans have been wrestling with democracy since 344 00:22:05,690 --> 00:22:06,440 the beginning. 345 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,200 Colleen Shogan: So, what happened to Harrison a month 346 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,000 after his inauguration? 347 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,240 Sharon McMahon: Several weeks after he is inaugurated, he gets 348 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:19,025 sick, and as I mentioned, people attributed this to having gone 349 00:22:19,025 --> 00:22:21,905 outside without a coat. They attributed to having gone 350 00:22:21,905 --> 00:22:26,135 outside without his appropriate outerwear, and had he not been 351 00:22:26,135 --> 00:22:30,005 standing out in the rain and the wind for two hours without a 352 00:22:30,005 --> 00:22:33,185 coat, this would have never happened. That was the sort of 353 00:22:33,185 --> 00:22:37,835 prevailing sentiment. He catches what you might describe today as 354 00:22:37,835 --> 00:22:43,370 a cold, and then that worsens into pneumonia. It worsens into 355 00:22:43,370 --> 00:22:47,210 pleurisy, where he has inflammation around his lungs. 356 00:22:47,210 --> 00:22:50,900 He was treated with the best that modern medicine had to 357 00:22:50,900 --> 00:22:56,480 offer at the time, which involved things like ipecac, 358 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:02,750 mercury-based remedies, crude oil, heated suction cups. You 359 00:23:02,750 --> 00:23:05,345 know, like they really are throwing everything they can at 360 00:23:05,345 --> 00:23:09,245 the problem. This man is the president. No president had ever 361 00:23:09,245 --> 00:23:14,045 died in office before, and they didn't really want to find out 362 00:23:14,045 --> 00:23:17,495 what was going to happen if somebody did. So they tried 363 00:23:17,495 --> 00:23:22,805 their best, but eventually he becomes delirious. His fever 364 00:23:22,805 --> 00:23:27,680 eventually starts to overcome him. He declines relatively 365 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:31,220 quickly. He doesn't linger. You know, he gets sick three weeks 366 00:23:31,220 --> 00:23:33,890 after taking office, and he's dead within the week or 367 00:23:33,890 --> 00:23:39,290 thereabouts. His last words were they're presumed by historians 368 00:23:39,290 --> 00:23:42,350 to be directed at the vice president John Tyler, but his 369 00:23:42,350 --> 00:23:47,540 last words were, "Sir, I wish you to understand the true 370 00:23:47,540 --> 00:23:52,775 principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask 371 00:23:52,775 --> 00:23:54,035 nothing more. 372 00:23:54,035 --> 00:23:56,315 Colleen Shogan: Amazing, and of course that precipitates, and 373 00:23:56,315 --> 00:23:58,805 this is of course the subject of another discussion. But 374 00:23:58,805 --> 00:24:03,155 precipitates what will actually happen when the vice president 375 00:24:03,155 --> 00:24:06,815 ascends to the presidency? Will the vice president act with the 376 00:24:06,815 --> 00:24:11,165 powers of the presidency, or will the vice president become 377 00:24:11,165 --> 00:24:12,695 the president of the United States? 378 00:24:12,695 --> 00:24:15,560 Sharon McMahon: Exactly right. Yes, that was a legitimate 379 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:18,380 debate that people were having at the time, and we have gone 380 00:24:18,380 --> 00:24:20,960 through and updated the Constitution now to better 381 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:24,950 clarify exactly when the vice president can take over and how 382 00:24:24,950 --> 00:24:27,770 long they can be in office, and we've clarified the manner in 383 00:24:27,770 --> 00:24:30,770 which presidential succession is meant to work. But having never 384 00:24:30,770 --> 00:24:34,520 done it before, it was a very novel legal concept. Will 385 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:37,985 somebody act as the president, as you mentioned, which is a 386 00:24:37,985 --> 00:24:42,215 different legal status than being the president, it's almost 387 00:24:42,215 --> 00:24:46,265 like being an interim administrator versus I am the 388 00:24:46,265 --> 00:24:48,905 administrator of this thing. Like I'm his president 389 00:24:48,935 --> 00:24:51,845 Colleen Shogan: or acting as the president of the United States, 390 00:24:51,845 --> 00:24:54,635 and Tyler makes the decision pretty quickly that he's going 391 00:24:54,635 --> 00:24:57,605 to take the oath and he's going to be the president of the 392 00:24:57,605 --> 00:24:58,655 United States. 393 00:24:58,700 --> 00:25:00,560 Sharon McMahon: That's right. Of course, that's. Story for 394 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:04,070 another day, but it's an important ending to Harrison's 395 00:25:04,070 --> 00:25:10,190 story. It is that there is a peaceful transition of power, 396 00:25:10,190 --> 00:25:14,930 and that there is not a fight over this line of succession of 397 00:25:14,930 --> 00:25:17,510 like, well, if you're just the acting president, I'm going to 398 00:25:17,510 --> 00:25:20,300 be the real president. Like it could have gone in a different 399 00:25:20,300 --> 00:25:20,840 direction. 400 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:21,680 Colleen Shogan: Absolutely, 401 00:25:21,725 --> 00:25:23,795 Sharon McMahon: but that peaceful transfer of power that 402 00:25:23,795 --> 00:25:28,475 we now view as a very important aspect of American democracy, 403 00:25:28,475 --> 00:25:31,385 Harrison's death laid the foundation for what that would 404 00:25:31,385 --> 00:25:38,015 look like for 150 years to come. 405 00:25:38,015 --> 00:25:41,195 Colleen Shogan: Sharon, in pursuit, of course, aims to find 406 00:25:41,195 --> 00:25:46,280 relevant lessons in our nation's past, so what can we learn from 407 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:48,020 William Henry Harrison? 408 00:25:48,020 --> 00:25:52,160 Sharon McMahon: I think the many of the cautions, warnings, and 409 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:56,270 also invitations that he has in his inaugural address are 410 00:25:56,270 --> 00:26:01,970 important to remember that power must not fall into one set of 411 00:26:01,970 --> 00:26:05,930 hands alone. That power is shared, and it was designed to 412 00:26:05,930 --> 00:26:09,245 be shared amongst three branches of government and multiple 413 00:26:09,245 --> 00:26:12,035 levels of government at the national, state, and local 414 00:26:12,035 --> 00:26:15,905 levels, and that makes government more responsive to 415 00:26:15,905 --> 00:26:20,075 the needs of citizens, and it also prevents tyranny. So the 416 00:26:20,075 --> 00:26:23,255 idea that nearly 50 years after the Constitution is written, 417 00:26:23,255 --> 00:26:28,985 that we have a president who feels it incumbent to reaffirm 418 00:26:28,985 --> 00:26:32,180 these democratic principles because he saw the nation from 419 00:26:32,180 --> 00:26:35,750 his viewpoint begin moving away from them. So we have to be 420 00:26:35,750 --> 00:26:38,810 vigilant that power cannot be concentrated in the hands of a 421 00:26:38,810 --> 00:26:42,020 single individual. As I mentioned before, I think the 422 00:26:42,020 --> 00:26:46,580 concept of allegiance to the principles of democracy and not 423 00:26:46,580 --> 00:26:49,370 allegiance to a single individual or allegiance to a 424 00:26:49,370 --> 00:26:53,120 political party should be held in the highest regard in our 425 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:57,065 minds. Much like members of the military, people who serve in 426 00:26:57,065 --> 00:26:59,225 high appointed office, they swear an oath to the 427 00:26:59,225 --> 00:27:02,765 Constitution. They don't swear an oath to serve an individual, 428 00:27:02,765 --> 00:27:06,425 and this isn't the the layperson's version of that. 429 00:27:06,425 --> 00:27:09,785 That we our allegiance is to the principles of democracy and not 430 00:27:09,785 --> 00:27:12,395 to a political party. And then I think it's also worth 431 00:27:12,395 --> 00:27:15,425 remembering that we have to protect the rights of the 432 00:27:15,425 --> 00:27:18,890 minority in a representative democracy. That this is 433 00:27:18,890 --> 00:27:22,280 something that America still struggles with. To what extent 434 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:25,940 must we protect people with whom we disagree? To what extent must 435 00:27:25,940 --> 00:27:32,000 we protect people who we don't think are deserving of rights? 436 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:36,440 And these are tensions that continue to exist, existed in 437 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:42,035 1840, and I do think some of Harrison's advice would be well 438 00:27:42,035 --> 00:27:43,385 heeded today. 439 00:27:43,385 --> 00:27:46,115 Colleen Shogan: Sharon McMahon, one of our nation's most 440 00:27:46,115 --> 00:27:50,345 effective communicators for both history and civics education. 441 00:27:50,345 --> 00:27:53,225 Thank you so much for joining in pursuit today. 442 00:27:53,225 --> 00:27:55,385 Sharon McMahon: My pleasure. Thank you, Colleen. 443 00:27:55,385 --> 00:27:58,115 Colleen Shogan: To read Sharon McMahon's essay on William Henry 444 00:27:58,115 --> 00:28:02,075 Harrison, and to enjoy other great in pursuit essays and 445 00:28:02,075 --> 00:28:07,970 podcasts. 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