Who was the Whig party candidate in the election of 1840? Describe his platform and campaign.

William Henry Harrison was the Whig party candidate, and a s they prepared for the election of 1840, both Democrats and Whigs were organized for campaigning on a national scale. In an election that would turn out and 80 percent of a greatly expanded electorate, campaigners wanted to appeal to a wide range of voters in a variety of voting blocks. The contest between Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison marked the first truly modern presidential campaign, with methods today's students are sure to recognize.

Martin Van Buren was re-nominated unenthusiastically by the Democrats in 1840; no candidate was nominated for the vice presidency. To many of those countrymen who had suffered through years of depression, he was "Martin Van Ruin."

Henry Clay felt his time had finally arrived and anticipated receiving the Whig nomination. Other forces in the party, however, knew that Clay's prominence over the years had earned him many enemies and they backed William Henry Harrison once again. Harrison was an old war hero and had made few pronouncements on public