Tippecanoe and Tyler Too: Famous Slogans and Catchphrases in American History

by Jan R. Van Meter

“By necessity, by proclivity, by delight,” Ralph Waldo Emerson said in 1876, “we all quote.” But often the phrases that fall most readily from our collective lips—like “fire when ready,” “speak softly and carry a big stick,” or “nice guys finish last”—are those whose origins and true meanings we have ceased to consider. Restoring three-dimensionality to more than fifty of these American sayings, Tippecanoe and Tyler Too turns clichés back into history by telling the life stories of the words that have served as our most powerful battle cries, rallying points, laments, and inspirations.

In individual entries on slogans and catchphrases from the early seventeenth to the late twentieth century, Jan Van Meter reveals that each one is a living, malleable entity that has profoundly shaped and continues to influence our public culture. From John Winthrop’s “We shall be as a city upon a hill” and the 1840 Log Cabin Campaign’s “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” and Ronald Reagan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” each of Van Meter’s selections emerges as a memory device for a larger political or cultural story. Taken together in Van Meter’s able hands, these famous slogans and catchphrases give voice to our common history even as we argue about where it should lead us.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

344 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been good, but spoiled by partisan sniping. (Wilson = Mr. Wonderful [sic]; Coolidge = Mr. Inept [sic]) Oh well, I guess lefties gotta lefty.

[Mandee Bellarosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an enjoyable read. It is essentially a collection of short tales that explores the origins of many of America's most famous slogans and saying dating back to the original colonists. Many of the phrases I knew the backgrounds about before reading the book, but most I knew just having heard them before so I found it interesting to see where and how they originated. I intend on using some of the short passages with my students as we navigate through the exhilarating history of our country. (Yeah I know I am a history NERD!!)

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long, Dry, but Informative

[Mike Keil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. Interesting to learn where many of the slogans in American history came from and what they meant.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some typos and six sections were about sports, which I thought excessive. Overall a unique perspective on US history.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, a history of sayings. Not too riveting either, but there you go.

[Janice Liedl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anecdotes - interesting but a bit light and fluffy for the serious scholar.