Henry Clay, renowned as ‘The Great Compromiser,’ was a 19th-century American orator and statesman. He represented Kentucky in both senate and the House of Representatives. He was a highly influential figure in both the second party and third-party systems. He strongly argued for the modernization of the American economy and founded the Whig party . In 1957, he was named as one of the five greatest senators by a senate committee which was chaired by John F Kennedy. He was a trained lawyer and practiced in Kentucky, where he could establish a reputation for his courtroom oratory and legal skills. His leadership strategy was highly complicated, which advanced his political ambition as well as his public policy goals. He was known as ‘The Great Compromiser’ for his capacity to bring others to an agreement. His illustrated carrier is ample testimony for it. Clay was largely instrumental in negotiating and signing the treaty of Ghent with Great Britain in 1814. In 1815, he again negotiated a commerce treaty with Britain. He, along with john c Calhoun, helped to pass the tariff of 1816. In 1820, a dispute erupted in Missouri over the extension of slavery. Clay settled the dispute by obtaining congressional approval for a plan which was known as the ‘Missouri Compromise.’
The Missouri Comprise in 1820 earned him the title ‘The Great Compromiser. In 1853, he was largely instrumental in brokering a deal to reduce tariffs gradually. This deal preserved the supremacy of the federal government over the states. He was also largely responsible for signing the ‘Compromise of 1850’ between northern and southern states, which delayed the civil war for an additional eleven years. Though Henry Clay’s several attempts at the presidency were unsuccessful, with his support, John Quincy Adams became the president of the United States in 1825. In 1844, he lost to Jame K Polk in a very narrow margin in his bid for the presidency. He passed away in Washington D C, in 1852, at the age of 75.
Annotated bibliography
Holt, Michael F. The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War (1999)
Michael F Holt, in his work, The Rise and Fall of the American Whig party: Jackson Ian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War, writes about the Whig party from its inception. He also included the causes and beginning of the civil war in his work.
Kennedy, John F. “Search for the Five Greatest Senators.” The New York Times Magazine, 1957.
A senate committee which was lead by John F Kennedy chose five greatest senators in American history in 1857. Henry Clay was one among them. Other members were John C Calhoun, Daniel Webster, Robert Taft, and Robert La Follette. John F Kennedy, in his article, ‘Search for Five Greatest Senators’ writes about selection process.
Death of Henry Clay: Sketch of His Life and Public Career”, New York Times. Now you can visit the Henry Clay Estate in Lexington, Kentucky!!!!! 1852, p. 1
In this work, a brief description of life and activities of Henry Clay is given.
Strahan, Randall; Moscardelli, Vincent G.; Haspel, Moshe; and Wike, Richard S. “The Clay Speakership Revisited” Polity 2000 32(4): 561-593
This work mainly concentrates on the leadership qualities of Henry Clay and his speakership.
Adams, John Quincy; Adams, Charles Francis (1874). Memoirs of John Quincy Adams: Comprising Portions of His Diary from 1795 to 1848. J.B. Lippincott & Co., 501–505
The former American president’s memoir is a good account of events which happened between 1795 to 1848.
Zarefsky, David. “Henry Clay and the Election of 1844: the Limits of a Rhetoric of Compromise” Rhetoric & Public Affairs 2003 6(1): 79-96.
David Zarefsky basically concentrates on the election of 1844 in which Henry Clay very lost the American presidency.
Van Deusen, Glyndon G. The life of Henry Clay, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1937, 1979.
It is a biography of Henry Clay in which authors have a detailed account of life and activities of Henry Clay and analyzes his contribution. To the society.