“Henry Clay,” lithograph, ca. 1832, published by Endicott & Swett, New York. This disturbing image depicts a skeletal Medusa, accompanied by the Devil, urging a crowd of people to drink. Temperance campaigns gained traction in the 1830s, as did crusades for diet reform, such as the one promoted by Sylvester Graham. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

Published at 546 × 640 in Presidential Politics in a Public Health Crisis: Cholera and the 1832 Election

Henry Clay made his second presidential run in 1832. His reputation for card-playing and carousing notwithstanding, Clay appealed directly to evangelical Christian voters by offering a Senate resolution calling for a national day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, something that the incumbent president, Andrew Jackson, had refused to do.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.