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Article: Henry Clay & Daniel Webster: two pillars of the union.
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- January 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The debate over the Compromise of 1850 capped the long careers of quite a few famous statesmen. Of these, two of the greatest were Henry Clay, the "Great Compromiser," and Daniel Webster, the "Defender of the Union," who spent most of their political lives working to preserve the Union.
In January 1850, coughing as he spoke, Clay, the frail, seventy-three-year-old senator from Kentucky, laid out details of a plan that could keep the United States from splitting apart. He tried to portray it as a relatively easy solution to serious disagreements. And his reputation as a mediator was riding on it.
Clay was born into a middle-class family in Virginia. His ...