The Historical Case for Henry Clay

Over the last couple of weeks, CSPAN has been showing a series of broadcasts called “The Contenders.” The purpose of the program is to highlight some of the more notable presidential election losers whose contributions extend far beyond their failed presidential run. For those not entirely into history, there is also a comedic element, as callers trying to pose serious queries get turned around on the quality over quantity element to questions. Secondly, CSPAN does a great job finding historians who are experts on the person of the night, if not entirely comfortable in front of the camera. It makes for great television. However, watching the program, I was struck as to why Henry Clay has not received more attention in many history classes.

Henry Clay is often mentioned in conjunction with Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun as one of the “great compromisers.” He first rose to prominence in the debate over the admission of Missouri into the Union. Missouri represented the first state culled out of the old Louisiana territory and it wanted to join the Union as a slave state. At the time, the congressmen from the free northern states and the slave southern states wanted to maintain a balance of delegates in Congress to maintain the status quo. Missouri threatened that but with the admission of Maine as a free state, the efforts of Henry Clay, among others, a national crisis was diverted.

Over the next couple of decades, much of it as Speaker of the House, he worked to implement his “American System” – an improvement plan for the country that included protective tariffs, a stronger banking system and government paid-for infrastructure improvements. He also voraciously challenged President Andrew Jackson on the existence of a national bank. However, for all of his work, he was not terribly successful on the big moments. His American System fell to southern states suspicious of the federal government’s paying of projects within their states. That same group was also adamantly against tariffs, which traditionally, in U.S. history, favored New England industries and punished farmers. President Jackson was able to outmaneuver Speaker Clay and his congressional ally, John Quincy Adams. While impressive as the Speaker, the aforementioned incidents, not to mention his failed presidential run in 1824, kept him from the top echelon of American politicians.

His biggest moment, his biggest achievement was to happen towards the end of his life. California wanted to be a state but a free state. Southern congressmen were outraged and again, for the second time in forty years, the country was on the verge of devolution, possibly war. However, the now senator from Kentucky and two of his colleagues, John C. Calhoun of South Carolina and Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, rose to the occasion. Most of them near death, literally, they worked together to produce one bill after another to bring the two sides together.

The Compromise of 1850 is one of the most important pre-Civil War congressional measures. Senator Calhoun died shortly after its passage and the other two senators died a mere two years later. Henry Clay played a large role but beyond this compromise, little is spoken about in “regular” U.S. history classes. It makes one wonder who else is being overlooked in U.S. or world history.

Henry Clay's service to his country deserves greater recognition. I’m doing my part as a historical votary and teacher (and occasional blogger), CSPAN is doing theirs with this amazing collection of features (every Friday night at 8:00ET). If you are interested, Robert V. Ramini’s At the Edge of the Precipice is a great study on the 1850 compromise and worth your time.