The 1844 Election

The 1844 Election was a fascinating contest between two very different candidates. The Whig candidate, Henry Clay, was a popular and experienced politician who had run for President 20 years earlier. Clay had served as John Quincy Adams Secretary of State and was a dominant member of Congress for over a decade. The Democratic candidate, James Polk, is considered by many to be the first "dark horse candidate" in American political history and was also the last Jacksonian to serve in the White House. Going into the Democratic convention that year, Polk was not being considered for the nomination and had just come off a terrible defeat in the gubernatorial elections in the state of Tennessee. Yet, he took the party by storm through his pro-Texas annexation policies, stealing the nomination from former President Martin Van Buren.

Many of the campaign items put out by Polk and the Democrats show the major issues this election would come down to. One very important debate the country was having at the time was over the issue of annexing Texas. Texas had just fought Mexico for its independence and was considered to be its own nation. Up to that point, presidents had stayed away from the issue of admitting Texas into the Union. However, Polk brought it to the fore front because of his strong expansionist platform.

Henry Clay had issues because of his back forth views on annexation. Throughout his speaking across the country, from Dayton to Richmond, Clay articulated different views at each place to appeal to very different voters. This, instead of drawing Americans from all across the country to his campaign, ended up driving many of his core voters in New York and Michigan away. These voters would run to the Liberty Party, led by James Birney. This party was strictly anti-slavery and Birnery was an evangelical Christian which drew many Northern voters away from the Whigs. Below is a cartoon that displays both candidates trying to woo "Lady Texas":

Below is a political ribbon for the Polk campaign that says "Texas and No Bank." This displays another domestic issue that would have a major effect on the election. Continuing in the line of his mentor Andrew Jackson, Polk stood strongly against the creation of a national bank. Clay, on the other hand, promoted his "American System" which relied heavily on a national bank. 

Another interesting piece of campaign memorabilia from this election is this banner, below, that shows how the Polk campaign tried to portray Clay as elitist and unable to identify with the average American. This was a common attack on Whigs because of Clay's big business friendly policies. The Whig platform in 1844 pushed for high protective tariffs and internal improvements like roads and canals.

Campaign flags were common at the time to promote the candidates, and the 1844 election was no exception. Below is a flag used by the Democrats to promote Polk and his Vice-President George Dallas. Dallas had been a Senator from Pennsylvania and had served as the minister to Russia under Martin Van Buren. While not necessarily a part of Andrew Jackson's inner circle, Dallas was a loyal Vice President who served Polk well.

A final piece of memorabilia from this election is the shell medalet. These were used for one of the first times in political campaigns in 1844 and were great ways of getting the candidates face out to the public in an era that did not have T.V. A number of examples are presented below:

In the end Polk would defeat Clay and go on to serve one of the most successful terms in American Presidential history. As president, Polk would annex Texas, add new territories in New Mexico, and push the British back into Canada and establish Oregon. Interestingly, this was the last presidential election where the voting days differed from state to state. Despite serving only one term, Polk suddenly died a year after he stepped down as president.

Bibliography

"Election of 1844." American Political Buttons. http://americanpoliticalbuttons.com/election-of-1844.html. 

"George M. Dallas." The Miller Center. http://millercenter.org/president/polk/essays/vicepresident/1860. 

"James Polk." The Miller Center. http://millercenter.org/president/polk/essays/biography/4. 

"James K. Polk." The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/jamespolk. 

"James Polk Political Ribbons." Political Memorabilia. http://politicalmemorabilia.com/political-item/james-polk-political-ribbons/. 

Renda, Lex. "Retrospective Voting and the Presidential Election of 1844: The Texas Issue Revisited." Presidential Studies Quarterly 24:4 (Fall 1994): 837-854.

"The Annexation of Texas, The Mexican-American War, and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1845-1848." U.S. Department of State. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/texas-annexation. 

"The Campaign and Election of 1844." The Miller Center. http://millercenter.org/president/polk/essays/biography/3. 

"1844 Presidential Election." 270 to Win. http://www.270towin.com/1844_Election/.