An economic depression began not long after Martin Van Buren took office. With the federal surplus being deposited in state banks, there was new capital available for borrowers. Many of the banks were careless in loaning money to land speculators. President Jackson issued the Specie Circular which stated that investors had to pay for land transactions with gold or silver rather than the flood of paper money which local banks were printing in an effort to loan out the federal surplus. Within a month of Van Buren’s inauguration, many local banks were unable to make their payments in gold or silver, and the nation entered a financial depression.

The Whig Party eagerly awaited the 1840 election. The first Whig Party National Convention nominated William Henry Harrison for President eleven months before the election.

The Democratic Party met in the spring of 1840 in Baltimore and unanimously nominated Van Buren once again. The convention took the bold step of declining to make a nomination for Vice President, as there were numerous rumors about VP Richard M. Johnson’s social habits which embarrassed the Democrats. Most of the Democratic electors in the nation supported Johnson for re-election.

The Whig Party developed many innovative campaign techniques in 1840. It organized a club named "Original Jackson Men" which held a convention at Columbus on 9/25/1840; John Tyler was the keynote sp

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An economic depression began not long after Martin Van Buren took office. With the federal surplus being deposited in state banks, there was new capital available for borrowers. Many of the banks were careless in loaning money to land speculators. President Jackson issued the Specie Circular which stated that investors had to pay for land transactions with gold or silver rather than the flood of paper money which local banks were printing in an effort to loan out the federal surplus. Within a month of Van Buren’s inauguration, many local banks were unable to make their payments in gold or silver, and the nation entered a financial depression.

The Whig Party eagerly awaited the 1840 election. The first Whig Party National Convention nominated William Henry Harrison for President eleven months before the election.

The Democratic Party met in the spring of 1840 in Baltimore and unanimously nominated Van Buren once again. The convention took the bold step of declining to make a nomination for Vice President, as there were numerous rumors about VP Richard M. Johnson’s social habits which embarrassed the Democrats. Most of the Democratic electors in the nation supported Johnson for re-election.

The Whig Party developed many innovative campaign techniques in 1840. It organized a club named "Original Jackson Men" which held a convention at Columbus on 9/25/1840; John Tyler was the keynote speaker. Several Harrison newspapers appeared across the nation, including the Ohio Staats-Zeitung, a German paper based in Columbus. The hard cider campaign organized rallies throughout the nation and distributed songs about Tippecanoe and Tyler too. The Democratic Party realized that it was headed for defeat, but its leaders made a substantial effort. VP Johnson visited several Ohio cities and made speeches in which he reiterated his role in the Indian wars.

Although Harrison was victorious, Van Buren ran a strong second because of the popularity of his subtreasury plan. The close race in the popular vote was masked by Harrison’s 234 to 60 margin in the electoral vote.

Dates of voting the various states:

10/30 - OH, PA

11/2 - AR, CT, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MS, MO, NH, VA

11/2-4 - NY

11/3 - LA

11/3-4 - NJ

11/9 - AL, MA

11/10 - DE, ME

11/12 - NC

11/13 - RI

11/19 - TN, VT

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