The New York Tribune and the 1844 Election

Abstract

This article analyzes the New York Tribune’ s coverage of the 1844 elections, interpreting James K. Polk's narrow victory over Whig candidate Henry Clay from the perspective of the firm of William H. Seward, Thurlow Weed, and Horace Greeley, an influential press and political organization. It examines newspaper content that reflected voter response to salient issues, profiling particularly the role of Greeley, editor of the Tribune, who failed to anticipate the effect of certain variables—including gang activities, a third-party movement, and press leaks—on the election results. The study revisits events in Manhattan's infamous Five Points area to suggest that cultural issues beyond the scope of both editors and politicians contributed to the outcome of the elections and to subsequent debates over westward expansion and the role of slavery in newly acquired territories.