William Henry Harrison

Robert M. Owens:  Mr. Jefferson's Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy

William Henry Harrison:  9th President (1841); b. 1773; d. 1841

Poor William Henry Harrison.  He made it all the way to the presidency, and then died 32 days into his first term.  His presidency is only interesting because of the people around him.  He was the first Whig president—and was nominated because the Whigs were confident that they could beat Van Buren following the panic of 1837 and wanted someone “electable.”  Henry Clay was the party’s leader but had made too many enemies in his decades of service.  No one really knew anything about Harrison, so nominated—and elected—he was.  His vice president was a Democrat, and when Harrison died John Tyler refused to cooperate with the Whigs that had made him Veep and made enemies out of pretty much everyone in Washington.  Daniel Webster was offered the number two job on the Harrison ticket, but turned it down because he thought it was an unimportant job—if only he knew how decrepit old Harrison was he might have taken the job.

The military uniform was painted on later.

The book itself is a very solid piece of historical research.  As far as readability, it suffers from density.  The chapters are packed tightly with information, and tend to be lengthy, but rather than offering breaks or sub-headings, Owens powers through each one straight through to the end.  To be honest, much of the material is rather dry—information about the various forts throughout the frontier at which Harrison served and his steady climb through the army.  By contrast, much of the work is fascinating—the central focus of the book, on the interactions between the plains Indians and the American settlers is compelling.  A little more storytelling could have elevated the work.  The book ends prior to Harrison’s presidential campaign and presidency, which I covered in works about Clay, Van Buren, and John Tyler.

The New South:  One notable topic is the linkage between the South—Virginia in particular—and much of the Midwest.  I think of Indiana as a cold, northern state.  But it, and much of southern Ohio, was tied to the South through river travel and was settled by Virginians.  Harrison owned slaves, as did many in Ohio.  And Harrison’s own work in the Jefferson administration is fascinating, if not just for learning about Harrison, but for the ways that Virginians viewed territorial expansion across the Appalachians.  This also suggests how small the country was in the late 1700's and early 1800's.  Harrison's dad knew Jefferson because they were both prominent Virginians.  When we talk about leaders of any of the colonies, all of the prominent people knew each other--they just did.  This isn't the case today.  The leading lawyers of even a small city don't all know each other, and they're not all on speaking terms with area politicians and businessmen.

Tecumseh:  I think we forget two things about the Indian Wars.  The first is how entrenched the Indians were in the Midwest in the late 1700s.  There were nations of people that lived in these areas that were slowly and inexorably pushed west.  And these were nations—they had governments and leaders and defined cultures and languages.  We also forget how vital these nations were in protecting their own interests.  I’m really reminded of the Goths and Celts of northern and western Europe during the expansion of Rome—these nations were mobile and fluid, and actively sought alliances between larger powers to advance their own interest.  It’s a mistake to see them as passive or victims of historical forces—they were active participants in historic events.  Harrison’s role in the expansion of the United States into areas previously controlled by Indian tribes was significant.  He was sometimes brave—he was a veteran of the Indian Wars and the War of 1812—sometimes diplomatic—he held a number of conferences as his own home—and in the end effective.