William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison was the 9th president of the United States. He was born in Virginia in 1773. William was born into a prominent family. His father was a wealthy planter who had served as governor of Virginia for three terms. His mother was also from a wealthy, well-known family.

William received his early education from tutors. In 1787, when he was fourteen, William entered the university. His plan was to study history and the classics. In 1791, he decided to study medicine. When his father died that same year, William didn’t have the money to continue in medical school. He decided to enlist in the army. He was 18 years old.

William’s first rank in the army was ensign . He was sent to the Northwest Territory. At that time, the Northwest Territory included the present-day states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and part of Minnesota. William was a good soldier and he rose quickly to the rank of lieutenant . He also served as aide-de camp to an important general. In 1794, Lieutenant Harrison fought the British and Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The army’s victory made it possible for white settlers to move into present-day Ohio and parts of Indiana.

In 1798, Harrison was appointed Secretary of the Northwest Territory. He also served as Governor of the Indiana Territory for 12 years. During that time, he made treaties with the Indians. Some of the treaties were unfair. Some were illegal. Because of these treaties, the Indians lost huge tracts of their land. Some Indian leaders accepted the loss of their lands. However, other Indian leaders, such as Chief Tecumseh, were very angry about it. Tecumseh wanted to stop white settlers from coming to the Northwest Territory. He and his brother organized a confederation of Indian tribes to fight the government and stop the settlers.

In 1811, Harrison led the army in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Harrison’s troops planned to attack the Indians first. However, the Indians surprised them with an attack early in the morning. Even though the army lost a lot of soldiers, they still won the battle . This victory again opened a huge new area to white settlers, and Harrison became a national hero. In 1813, as part of the War of 1812, Brigadier General Harrison became a national hero again. In the Battle of the Thames, Harrison’s troops defeated the British and their Indian allies and killed Chief Tecumseh.

In 1840, the Whig Party asked Harrison to run for president. The Whigs wanted a popular military hero as their candidate. In the campaign, the Whigs used catchy songs and slogans. They handed out campaign buttons. The campaign also created an image of Harrison as a rough, simple frontiersman. This wasn’t true, but it helped Harrison to win the election.

On March 4th, 1841, President Harrison gave his inaugural speech. For almost two hours, he spoke outside in a snowstorm. He wanted to show how strong he was, so he refused to wear a coat or hat. A few weeks later, he caught a cold. The cold developed into pneumonia. Harrison died on April 4, 1841. 8. President Harrison is remembered as the second oldest president, after Ronald Reagan. He is also remembered as the president who served the shortest time in office.

Reading Warm Up Questions:

What do you know about the first Northwest Territory, also called the Old Northwest?