- Date:
- 1840
- Original Format:
- Cartoon
- Item#:
- 9.069
"A Hard Road to Hoe!"
This political cartoon from the 1840 presidential election parodies the obstacles facing Martin Van Buren in his effort to be reelected. Underneath the title, the cartoon is labeled, "Or the White House Turnpike, macadamized by the North Benders." Van Buren, weighed down by the Sub Treasury, tries to climb over log cabins and hard cider to follow Andrew Jackson's lead to the White House. The log cabin and cider were symbols of William Henry Harrison's election campaign. The sign post features the phrase "OK" which was coined after Van Buren's hometown "Old Kinderhook."