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Who was henrey clay?

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Anonymous

16y ago
Updated: 8/17/2019

Henry Clay "The Great Pacificator" April 12, 1777 - June 29, 1852 Henry Clay, with John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster, made up the triumvirate of great statesmen who dominated American politics for over 30 years. Born to moderately well-to-do parents in Virginia bar 21 years later and moved to Kentucky, where he prospered as an attorney and politician. Clay has been described as a witty, charming, and sociable man who demonstrated a towering intellect, along with great vitality and self confidence. He was also an extremely eloquent orator possessed of tremendous ambition. By 1812 Clay had been elected to seven terms in the Kentucky state legislature, had completed two unexpired terms in the U.S. Senate, and was the owner of a prosperous 600-acre estate known as "Ashland", where he lived with his wife, Lucretia Hart, and their 11 children. Clay had also by that time been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Politically, Clay was a Jeffersonian Democrat. An advocate of a protective tariff to aid the nation's young industries, he also supported making internal improvements at national expense and establishing a national bank. He was a border-state politician who owned slaves but favored gradual emancipation and stipulated in his will that his slaves be freed. As Speaker of the House, Clay pushed the United States into the War of 1812, and he served as a member of the commission that negotiated with Britain the Treaty of Ghent for ending the war. Head of the opposition to President Andrew Jackson throughout Old Hickory's political career, Clay was against Jackson's war with Florida's Seminole Indians, fought Jackson's destruction of the national bank, and pushed through Congress the compromise tariff of 1833 that ended Jackson's Nullification Crisis with the state of South Carolina. Clay earned the nickname "Great Pacificator" for promoting the Missouri Compromise, the 1820 legislation that successfully eased the nation's tensions over the volatile issue of extending slavery for 30 more years. Fascinating Fact: Both Clay and Webster were prominent Whigs who were opposed to the war with Mexico, and both had sons who died while serving with American forces in Mexico.

ADDED INFORMATION: Henry Clay was born into a middle-class family in Hanover County, Virginia. He studied law with the noted George Wythe, mentor of Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall. At age 20, Clay moved to Kentucky and quickly established himself as a successful lawyer. His oratorical skills, friendly manner, and inclinations to engage in gambling and drinking made him immensely popular. Clay served at various times in the Kentucky state legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Senate. As Speaker of the House, Clay was a prominent War Hawk, pushing for expansion and war with Britain. He also served as a peace commissioner in Ghent in the negotiations ending the War of 1812. Clay's efforts to forge the Missouri Compromise (1820) were the first of several such ventures dealing with expansion and the spread of slavery. Clay was himself a slave owner, but he favored the emancipation of slaves and their resettlement in Africa. The Election of 1824 was decided in the House of Representatives. John Quincy Adams won the presidency and selected Clay as his secretary of state - a move that encouraged critics to claim a "corrupt bargain." Clay gained widespread support in his home state and throughout the West for advocacy of the American System. In 1831, Clay returned to the Senate and emerged as the leader of the National Republican party, which later became the Whig Party. He lost a bid for the presidency in 1832, but figured prominently in Jackson's and Biddle's Bank War and the Tariff of 1833. Clay's perhaps most notable achievement came in the Compromise of 1850, in which the "Great Pacificator" or "Great Compromiser" managed temporarily to tame sectional passions. The Whig Party lasted only a short while following Clay's death, but their ideas, particularly the American System, were taken over by the new Republican Party. Henry Clay

... Henry Clay born, Hanover County, Virginia May 1, 1844 Whig Party nominates Henry Clay to run for President of the United States November 5, 1844 Democrat James Polk defeats Whig Henry Clay in the Presidential election July 27, 1848 Henry Clay born, Hanover County, Virginia May 1, 1844 Whig Party nominates Henry Clay to run for President of the United States November 5, 1844 Democrat James Polk defeats Whig Henry Clay in the Presidential election July 27, 1848 Henry Clay to run for President of the United States November 5, 1844 Democrat James Polk defeats Whig Henry Clay in the Presidential election July 27, 1848 Henry Clay in the Presidential election July 27, 1848 The U. S.

http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/2885 Henry Clay

... close to ta little town called Rayville on a big plantation belong to Old Master Henry Clay. He was some akin to the Tillmans in that country and they was sure big rich. My pappy's name was Solomon Clay and my mammy's name was HannHenry Clay. He was some akin to the Tillmans in that country and they was sure big rich. My pappy's name was Solomon Clay and my mammy's name was Hanna. She ...

http://www.african-nativeamerican.com/henry_clay.htmThe Day Henry Clay Died

... Expansion & Reform (1829-1859) "The Great Compromiser" Henry Clay The Day Henry Clay Died June 29, 1852 Think about a disagreement you have had with a friend. How did it turn out? Did one of you win, or were you both able to talk abouHenry Clay The Day Henry Clay Died June 29, 1852 Think about a disagreement you have had with a friend. How did it turn out? Did one of you win, or were you both able to talk abouHenry Clay Died June 29, 1852 Think about a disagreement you have had with a friend. How did it turn out? Did one of you win, or were you both able to talk about what ...

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16y ago

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