What were Henry Clays views on slavery?

Answer 1

Henry Clay's views on slavery were somewhat nuanced, or even hypocritical. He said all the right things, and he did express opposition to slavery. And yet, he also was a slave-owner himself (at one point, he owned up to sixty slaves, and while he did treat them kindly and ultimately emancipate them, the fact remains that he owned slaves). In fairness, Clay was a person of his time. He believed slavery was morally wrong, yet he also believed it would not be easy to end it, and in his home state of Kentucky, he did participate in it.

Further, while he was both powerful and influential, he was also one of many white politicians who believed the answer to America's racial problems was colonization-- that is, he supported sending black people back to Africa, where he believed they would be happier; he wanted to establish colonies in Africa where freed blacks (and others) could live. (At one point, he was the head of the American Colonization Society, which had been established for this purpose.) Clay did not believe the integration of the races was practicable, and he believed true equality of the races was impossible to attain. That said, he absolutely did speak out against slavery and spoke in favor of racial justice; and his views most certainly influenced Abraham Lincoln. But many of Clay's views, which were seen as moderate back then, would be viewed quite differently in our modern era.

Answer 2

Henry Clay was a powerful figure in American politics in the antebellum days. He was a Whig and a mentor of then Whig Party member, Abraham Lincoln. Clay was the Speaker of the House of Representatives and was a slave owner from Kentucky. Clay believed that the entire course of then modern day history was against slavery. Clay compared the freedom revolutions in South America to the anti-slavery movement in the US and in England. This was before England abolished slavery. Any movements designed to retain the institution of slavery, Clay believed was futile.

Answer 3

He was against slavery but was more for saving the Union. Hence The Missouri Compromise.