54-40 or Fight (book)

54-40 or Fight
AuthorEmerson Hough
IllustratorArthur I. Keller
LanguageEnglish
SubjectAmerican history
PublisherGrosset and Dunlap or The Bobbs-Merrill Company
Publication date
1909
Publication placeUnited States
Pages402
Followed byPurchase Price 

'54-40 or Fight' is the first book in a trilogy by Emerson Hough.[1] The next two books in the trilogy are Purchase Price and John Rawn. The title references the expansion of the United States that President James K. Polk called for. The expansion was to include Texas, California, and the Oregon territory. Since the northern boundary of Oregon was the latitude line of 54 degrees, 40 minutes, "fifty-four forty or fight!" became a popular slogan.[2] The book was dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt.[3] 54-40 or Fight was a financial success.[4]

  1. ^ Wylder, 46
  2. ^ ushistory.org. "54° 40' or Fight [ushistory.org]". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  3. ^ Wylder, 49
  4. ^ Wylder, 126