IH 54-40 OR FIGHT

This is a barn quilt that one of my son-in-laws wanted me to make for his grandfather’s birthday. It was fitting because both Justin, and his grandfather Don, both have antique IH Farmall tractors. I found this barn quilt design on line that someone else had made. I alternated my variation just a little.

I didn’t know the history behind the “54-40 or Fight” pattern so looked it up on the net. Here’s what I found out from Wikipedia.

“The Oregon Dispute became important in geopolitical diplomacy between the British Empire and the new American Republic. In 1844 the U.S. Democratic Party, appealing to expansionist sentiment and the popular theme of manifest destiny, asserted that the U.S. had a valid claim to the entire Oregon Country up to Russian America at parallel 54°40′ north. Democratic presidential candidate James K. Polk won the1844 election, but then sought a compromise boundary along the 49th parallel, the same boundary proposed by previous U.S. administrations. Negotiations between the U.S. and the British broke down, however, and tensions grew as American expansionists like U.S. Senator Edward A. Hannegan of Indiana, or Congressman Leonard Henly Sims, Missouri, which urged Polk to annex the entire Oregon Country north to the parallel 54°40′ north, as the Democrats had called for in the election. The turmoil gave rise to slogans like "Fifty-four Forty or Fight!" and the catchphrase "Manifest Destiny".”

Not sure who chose the name for this pattern but I really like the design. This barn quilt is now hung at Don’s farm and I’ll post pictures soon. Thanks for looking.