ON THE VANGUARD

BREAKING THE CURSE
“Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Psalm 91:3-4

William Henry Harrison served as the ninth President of the United States. His term however, only lasted thirty-two days. Coming into office at age 68, Harrison was the second oldest President to serve. On the day of his inauguration, Harrison delivered a two hour speech in the rain without a hat or coat. Some attribute his death from pneumonia to this boyish action, but as medical studies have advanced there has not been shown a link for the bad weather and pneumonia. Harrison’s doctors tried cures such as opium, leeches, and the like, yet within the nine days from the onset to his death, no cure seemed to work. As the President grew delirious, and other ailments arose including jaundice and septicemia, Harrison’s body found itself unable to fight back. It is possible that this sudden death was due to what started out as a simple cold, but is there another reason? Let us look deeper into the life and history of William Henry Harrison.
As a history minor in college, interesting stories of the past always grabbed my attention. Naturally then, when I heard about the Curse of Tecumseh, my ears were opened. While Harrison and Shawnee leader, Tecumseh, engaged against each other at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 over the rights of the Indian land, the battle favored Harrison’s troops. As Tecumseh admitted his defeat at the hands of Harrison, it is said that he spewed out an ancient Indian curse of death over the Great White Fathers, or Presidents. As the exact story of history is unsure, another story suggests that it was the half brother of Tecumseh, the medicine man known as “The Prophet”, Tenskwatawa, who placed the hex in revenge for his leader and brother. While the hex of the medicine man is recorded with more accurate words, stating every President chosen every 20 years will die, we do not know the truth. But, we can see the truth if we look at the history of Presidents who followed.
Starting from the election of Harrison in 1840, who was the first President to die in office, we jump to 1860. As President Abraham Lincoln was serving his second term, elected to do so in 1860, history records his assassination caused by John Wilkes Booth. In the 1880 election, James A. Garfield came into power. In 1881, Garfield was also shot while waiting in a Washington railroad station. His death would come two months later due to the wounds from the incident. The election in 1900 brought William McKinley into office. He too was shot and within a week passed away as a result of the wounds suffered. Warren G. Harding, elected in 1920, suffered a stroke while in office in 1923. As Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1940 for his third term, he found himself next in line for the curse. It was not until 1945, as he served his fourth term, that he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Most notably was the passing of John F. Kennedy, who was elected in 1960, and was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Whether the curse was called out by Tecumseh or Tenshwatawa, the curse was real. “But wait,” you say, “what happened in 1980?” Elected in 1980, Ronald Reagan took the title of President. The would-be assassin John Hinckley missed Reagan’s heart by one inch in his attempt. The curse was finally broken. Was there a time line within the curse that said it was good only for 140 years? Perhaps. I chose to believe, though, that when true men and women honor God, God protects them. Within the lives of Ronald Reagan who was elected in 1980, and George W. Bush who was elected in 2000, God was not lessened. It is recorded that these two Presidents often consulted with Christian religious leaders such as Billy and Franklin Graham before making weighty decisions. As a result, God honored them and the curse was lifted.
I urge you to consider two things today. One, curses are real. The words we say to others can affect them and as such, it is to our benefit and that of others to button our lip at times. But the second is this. Psalm 91:1 starts out with, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” God will protect us from the fowler’s snare and cover us in His wings when we dwell in Him. In this dwelling His covering exists. I encourage you to dwell in Him.