Fifty-four Forty or Fight
Preserved but no longer current.
A slogan used in the U.S.A. presidential election of 1846. For some years there had been a dispute with Britain as to the northern boundary of the U.S.A. in the far west. The U.S.A. claimed that their territory should extend as far north as the southern border of Russian Alaska, which was 54° 40' N.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Fifty-four Forty or Fight” mean?
A slogan used in the U.S.A. presidential election of 1846. For some years there had been a dispute with Britain as to the northern boundary of the U.S.A. in the far west. The U.S.A. claimed that their territory should extend as far north as the southern border of Russian Alaska, which was 54° 40' N.
Is “Fifty-four Forty or Fight” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.