US History

Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)

Law and Government

This collection uses primary sources to explore the life and political impact of Henry Clay.

An excerpt from an 1852 letter from a newspaper publisher, Thomas Ritchie, remembering Henry Clay.

An 1865 map of the Missouri Compromise provisions. 

An appendix of charts, graphs, and data used by Henry Clay in a speech in defense of the American System. 

Part of a speech in which Jon White defends Henry Clay against accusations of a “corrupt bargain” in the 1824 presidential election.

Excerpts from a speech by Lynn Boyd outlining the motivation for the “corrupt bargain” and the excuses offered by Kentucky Representatives. 

An excerpt from the speeches of Henry Clay in which he defends a tariff compromise to end the Nullification Crisis.

A political cartoon about Andrew Jackson’s war on the Second Bank of the US and Henry Clay’s response. 

An excerpt from a text in which a “professed christian” offers reasons why he can vote for Henry Clay in the Presidential election of 1844. 

An excerpt from a pamphlet in which John Hill, a Missouri Republican, compares and contrasts Henry Clay and Abraham Lincoln. 

A painting of Henry Clay defending the Compromise of 1850 before the Senate. 

Images of the funeral remembrances for Henry Clay in New York City. 

A selection of letters sent to the ceremony of laying the cornerstone for the national monument to Henry Clay in Lexington, Kentucky. 

Questions

1. What do we learn about Henry Clay’s character and politics from [Thomas Ritchie’s letter](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/512)? 
2. Use the [map of the Missouri Compromise](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/513), the [speech excerpts on the tariff compromise](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/517), and the [painting of Henry Clay](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/521) speaking to the Senate, together with your prior knowledge of these compromises, to explain how Henry Clay attempted to prevent the Civil War. 
3. Using the charts, graphs, and excerpts in the [appendices](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/514), create a chart of reasons Henry Clay argued for the “American System.”
4. Using the excerpts of [John White’s](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/515) and [Lynn Boyd’s](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/516) speeches, outline the evidence for and against the accusations of a “corrupt bargain” in the election of 1824. 
5. Several items outline Henry Clay’s political viewpoints. Would you, like the “[professed christian](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/519),” have voted for Henry Clay in the election of 1844? Why?
6. Use the two sections excerpted from the [pamphlet by John Hill](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/520), “Negro Equality” and “Abolitionism Generally,” to explain how the views of Henry Clay and Abraham Lincoln compare and contrast.
7. Use the [images of the funeral remembrances](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/522) and five of the [letters](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/henry-clay-the-great-compromiser/sources/523) to explain how Henry Clay was perceived by the American public and his fellow politicians at the time of his death.

Activity

Ask the class to gather information on Andrew Jackson. Divide the class into three groups and have them debate who would have been better for the US as president: the man who was president, Andrew Jackson, the man who tried and failed, Henry Clay, or neither? Each student should provide a piece of evidence for their group to use in the debate. 

Teaching Guide: Exploring the Life and Work of Henry Clay

Resources

1. [Henry Clay: A Resource Guide](https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/clay/), Library of Congress. 
2. [Henry Clay’s 10 Most Significant Accomplishments](http://henryclay.org/henry-clays-10-most-significant-accomplishments/), Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate. 
3. [Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Henry Clay](https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/clay-henry), U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. 

Overview

Just how great was “the great compromiser”? Henry Clay seems to be involved in everything in American history from 1810 until 1850. Clay was a member of the House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, Senator, Secretary of State, and repeated presidential candidate. He was involved in the War of 1812, the Treaty of Ghent, The Missouri Compromise, the American System, the “Corrupt Bargain,” the Nullification Crisis, multiple presidential elections, and the Compromise of 1850. Along with John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster, Henry Clay did more to impact nineteenth-century American history than almost any non-president. The compromises he helped author, together with his leadership of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, House of Representatives, Senate, and political parties, make him a fascinating character to investigate. But his long career reveals several views and stances that are not “great.” Use the items in this set, together with your understanding of early-nineteenth-century American history, to create a more complete understanding of this influential actor in US history. 

English

Henry Clay: The Great Compromiser

henry-clay-great-compromiser_02_04d7d9809c0726bb4a947bb6cb912bf9.jpg

Courtesy of The New York Public Library. 

Fay, Theodore S., “Diagr. V ; Missouri compromise 1820,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/04d7d9809c0726bb4a947bb6cb912bf9.

An 1865 map of the Missouri Compromise provisions.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 2 of 12 in the Primary Source Set Henry Clay: The Great Compromiser