Our History, Indiana: William Henry Harrison


Written/Recorded By: Janelle Boys-Chen

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Supplemental Interview: Click here for an interview with Dawn Marsh, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Purdue University.

When Americans today think of William Henry Harrison, chances are we think of him as the man who was President — for a month. Well, 31 days. For those of us in the early 21st century, William Henry Harrison is famous…for the shortest presidency in history.

Unfortunately, when we remember William Henry Harrison's last — and perhaps greatest — accomplishment, we tend to forget all the things he accomplished before he was elected...the reasons why he was elected President at all.

When Americans of that time thought of William Henry Harrison, they thought of him as man who defeated his nation's foes with words and with guns.

General Harrison and his compatriots were well-known for their part in bringing the War of 1812 to an end. Surprisingly, this victory was not the most visible deed for which William Henry Harrison was famous. The Americans of that time knew William Henry Harrison might not have been General Harrison...if he hadn't been appointed due to the reputation his supporters summed up in the catchy one-line campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!" For the people who elected Harrison—and Tyler, his running mate—to office in 1840, William Henry Harrison was famous…as the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe.

At the time of the Battle of Tippecanoe, William Henry Harrison was Governor of the Indiana Territory. As such, he made some token attempts to promote harmony and peace with the Indian population. He met prominent Indian leaders - most notably Tecumseh - on several occasions, forwarded a translation of one of Tecumseh's most eloquent speeches to his correspondents in Washington, and gave a speech of his own to the newly established Territory Legislature - observing that the Indians had grounds to complain of unfair treatment in court and advising the Legislature to try to be fair. Harrison even seemed to be willing to practice what he preached, once offering aid to an Indian accused of murder should his peers decide he had acted in self-defense.

In spite of this seemingly friendly policy Harrison adopted, however, his primary ambition was to develop Indiana Territory to the point necessary for it to gain admission as a state in the Union. Population was an important factor in this process, and in order to promote population growth, Harrison needed land for newcomers to settle. With the encouragement of the United States government, Harrison began acquiring as much Indian land as he could. This eventually amounted to nearly 30 million acres — each acre being nearly equivalent to a football field — an amount of space almost impossible to imagine.

The Indians living on some of that land didn’t want to leave it. They claimed — through their representative, Tecumseh — that they had never given their consent to the treaties signing control of the land over to the United States government. Of course, aside from Tecumseh’s claims that his people would punish those who had signed the treaties, the Indians had no means of proving those who had signed the treaties lacked the authority to sell the lands.

While Tecumseh might have felt punishment was proof of the crime those individuals had committed, Harrison considered it another example of the volatile nature of the Indian population, whose unpredictable actions were making white settlers in the Territory uneasy. Harrison felt the best way to prevent an Indian War was to meet the first sign of Indian aggression with a punishing show of strength. With the permission of the federal government, he gathered a force of about 910 men — including 600 citizens of Indiana Territory — and marched toward the Indian encampment at Prophetstown.

When Harrison and his men were greeted with the news that Tecumseh was away from the settlement, they agreed to wait for his return before acting, and set up camp on a site suggested by the Indians.

The Indians attacked Harrison and his troops before dawn the next morning. In spite of being hit by two bullets — the first grazing his neck and the second bouncing off his saddle to hit his thigh — Harrison led his men to victory.

More than just an exciting tale, the Battle of Tippecanoe - and William Henry Harrison's role in it - were important symbols of achievements the voters hoped Harrison could reproduce on a national level.

Protecting the country’s borders, citizens, and settlers may have been the voters’ most obvious expectation, but just as at its most basic level the Battle of Tippecanoe was about the expansion and development of Indiana, so too Harrison’s election reflected the nation’s prevailing desires - to develop and to expand.