Compare And Contrast Van Buren And Harrison

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The 1840 U.S. presidential election was notoriously light on discussions of the issues. While incumbent Democrat Martin Van Buren and Whig challenger William Henry Harrison occasionally touched on executive power and economic policy, their parties spent the majority of the race engaging in mudslinging, political theater and sloganeering. This was particularly true of the Whigs, who framed much of their campaign around Harrison’s heroic role in an event from nearly 30 years earlier: the Battle of Tippecanoe.