Remembered as the "Great Compromiser," Henry Clay is seen as the man who held back the forces of civil war on three different occasions throughout his political career. Starting with the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Clay was able to negotiate balance into the Senate by allowing Missouri into the Union as a slave state and by initiating Maine as a free state. Clay received praise for his political play in 1820 which may have led to him becoming more reckless in the future.
This recklessness started to cause problems when Clay introduced the "American System of 1824." Using his status and the plan's fancy name, Clay was able to propel three key measures onto the floor of the House. The first of these measures was to support infrastructure improvements such as road-building in the South. Clay represented Kentucky and this proposal allowed him to gain support from his constituents. The second proposal was to institute a national bank that would consolidate the nation's finances. Finally, The American System also sought to establish a protective tariff to promote consumers to purchase domestic goods over foreign goods. These ideas seem righteous on the surface but the reality was far darker than one would suspect.
Despite being from the South, Clay was opposed to slavery, but he knew that the only way to get rid of the institution would be to slowly move the southern economy away from free labor. The American System was his way of forcing the southern economy to change, without the South noticing. However, the latter two proposals within the American System hurt the South. A national bank would pass policies favoring lenders and traditional businesses that were located in the North. Furthermore, a protective tariff would hurt the South because the South exported its raw materials to England. England would then turn these raw materials into finished goods and sell them to the North. By imposing a tariff, England would sell fewer goods in the United States so they would import less from the South.
Clay's plan became a reality in 1828 when a new protective tariff was passed. The South immediately started to hurt and plantations were not able to sell all of their raw materials. Unfortunately, instead of changing their economy like Clay had hoped, the South decided to threaten succession if the tariff was not overturned. This resulted in a huge nullification crisis and the National Guard was almost deployed by President Andrew Jackson. Clay being the "Great Compromiser" stepped in once again to negotiate the Tariff of 1833. This new tariff had lower rates and civil war was avoided. Clay successfully solved the very problem that he had created. This tradition of government "solving" problems that they themselves created has continued to this day.
Clay's final compromise came just two years before his death in 1852. The Compromise of 1850 stopped the Civil War by admitting California as a slave state, but also by instituting the Fugitive Slave Act for Southerners. This law allowed Southerners to go to the North and take their slaves back to the South. The Compromise of 1850 kept the nation from civil war once again and instead Clay started the industry of bounty hunting. Bounty hunters would steal free blacks from the North and sell them to slave owners in the South.
Some questions have to be asked: Did Henry Clay do the nation any favors by pushing his compromises? If the Civil War was inevitable, was extending slavery for thirty years worth it? Did Henry Clay find an effective balance between disliking slavery and wanting the nation to remain united?
Everyone will have different answers to these questions but it is important to form an opinion while knowing all the facts. If you are interested in learning more about Henry Clay, consider reading the links below.
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