340 Political Activity and Resistance to Oppression: From the American Revolution to the Civil War
during this period was whether and to what extent slavery
would be allowed not only in Texas, but in all of the ter-
ritory west of the Mississippi River. Th e Texas boundary
line was also questioned. Congress debated on whether
the Rio Grande should be the boundary to divide Texas
and Mexico. Coming out of retirement, Clay introduced
a plan that allowed Southern slaveholders to run down
fugitives in the North and allowed slavery to be main-
tained in Washington, D.C., and Texas and in which New
Mexico and Utah were left to decide the “slavery ques-
tion” for themselves, and California was admitted as a
free state. Th e sale of slaves was abolished in the District
of Columbia. Texas had to relinquish a large portion of
its territory in return for the payment of $10 million. Th e
legislation stalled in Congress for many weeks to no avail.
It appeared as though the bill would not be passed. But
aft er weeks of wrangling, it was accepted. Although it
was not popular in any state, it did delay the Civil War
by a decade. Th e passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, in the
long run, probably helped to escalate feelings of hatred in
the North that eventually led up to the Civil War. Some
scholars hold Clay’s Compromise of 1850 personally re-
sponsible for putting antislavery issues at the forefront
of the nation’s concerns. Clay died on June 29, 1852, in
Washington, D.C.
Henry Clay’s philosophy concerning slavery and his
attitude toward African Americans in retrospect are very
paradoxical in nature. Although throughout his lifetime
he repeatedly discussed the evils of slavery and is on rec-
ord for the support its abolition, Clay himself owned slaves
throughout his life.
See also: Compromise of 1850; Missouri CompromiseSteven NapierBibliography
Baxter, Maurice G. Henry Clay and the American System. Lexing-
ton: University of Kentucky Press, 1995.
Clay, Th omas Hart, and Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer. Henry Clay.
Philadelphia: G.W. Jacobs, 1910.
Eaton, Clement. Henry Clay and the Art of American Politics. Bos-
ton: Little, Brown, 1957.
Hopkins, James F., and Robert Seager, eds. Th e Papers of Henry
Clay. 11 vols. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press,
1959–1992.
Remini, Robert V. Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union. New York:
Norton, 1991.
Schurz, Carl. Life of Henry Clay. 2 vols. Boston: Houghton, Mif-
fl in, 1887.age of 34, Clay was elected to the U.S. House of Representa-
tives and became the House Speaker on the fi rst day. From
his earliest appointment in the U.S. Congress, Clay was
known as the “Great Compromiser” because of his ability
to bridge the gap between Northern and Southern interests
over issues oft en related to African Americans. He also sup-
ported a ban on the further importation of any slaves into
the United States.
Clay was responsible for the Missouri Compromise,
which served to delay much heated disagreement over
slavery. Th e Missouri Compromise of 1821 disallowed
the spread of slavery into and beyond the territory of the
Louisiana Purchase of 1803. It allowed slavery to exist in
Missouri; however, it disallowed it in the newly admitted
state of Maine. It also set the 36/30 parallel as the point at
which slavery was prohibited from spreading. Clay ada-
mantly opposed slavery and tried to force Kentucky to
free its slaves whenever it was admitted to the Union as
a state. He publicly stated his appreciation that most de-
mocracies in South America had abolished slavery. Clay
was not beyond criticism regarding his relationship to Af-
rican Americans, though, for he also helped to pass laws
that aided in the capture of runaway slave and failed to
support England’s quest to eliminate the slave trade. Clay
also demanded that Canada return all runaway slaves to
the United States. While serving as the U.S. secretary of
state under John Quincy Adams from 1825 to 1829, Clay
wanted slavery abolished gradually with the least amount
of resistance possible and with limited negative eff ects on
the American economy. Clay led the American Coloniza-
tion Society, an organization that advocated for free Afri-
can Americans to be removed from the United States and
sent to Liberia.
Clay was elected again to the U.S. Senate in 1831 and
supported the abolition of slavery in Washington, D.C. He
adamantly opposed President John C. Calhoun’s policy to
ban the U.S. Postal Service from delivering any documents
related to abolition and maintained that slavery should be
discussed and debated openly. Clay was reluctant to admit
Texas as a state because he feared slavery would be allowed
there. His positions were oft en seemingly contradictory,
stating that he opposed slavery while at the sane time con-
demning abolitionists for dividing the nation.
Aft er the Mexican-American War from 1846 through
1848, Clay was responsible for bringing a divided nation
together with the Compromise of 1850. Th e essential issue