Why Is Henry Clay Important

Henry Clay Sr. was born on April 12, 1777, in Hanover County, Virginia, into a modest family with adequate wealth to support the education for him and his four surviving siblings. Clay was born in the midst of the Revolutionary War and witnessed the horrors first hand, as British soldiers ransacked his family residence at the age of three (biography.com). Through family connections, Clay was able to land a clerkship under Virginia jurist George Wythe and he quickly proved himself to be valuable and he was admitted to the Virginia marking the beginning of his influential career in law. Henry Clay started to become a popular figure when he introduced his Jeffersonian policies and ideals in the Kentucky General Assembly, while also taking on private
Clay took part in many negotiations that kept America united. Firstly, in 1820, Henry Clay played a major role in the Missouri Compromise which set a precedent on the procedures that were caused by western expansions earning his nickname, “The Great Pacifier” (Britannica). He also “walked South Carolina back from the brink of succession,” his compromise tariff of 1833, he was able to solve the South Carolina nullification crisis (Britannica). After gaining massive respect from the public after being the compromiser of various situations, Henry Clay wanted to take his influence to another level and decided to run for office against John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in 1824. With the electoral college votes tied between Adams and Jackson, Congress broke the tie and Henry Clay was appointed Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams. Jackson was suspicious of this political decision and blamed Henry of a corrupt bargain, which would stay with him throughout the rest of his political career. With his reputation and support slightly weakened, Andrew Jackson won presidency in 1828 and Clay played a prominent role in the formation of the Whig party. Their beliefs were opposite to Andrew Jackson as he and his colleagues were discontent with the action of President Jackson. One of his political stands was defending against the annexation of Texas against Polk, as he believed it would spark a war between the United States and Mexico. Battling Tuberculosis, Henry Clay finally passed away on June 29, 1852 in Washington D.C where he would be known and respected as an influential politician who greatly helped the prosperity of America in the 1800s. In letters grieving Clay, many of his colleagues and political enemies describe him as having “lofty patriotism,”