| Henry Clay - The Essential American (2010) |
| Front Cover | Book Details | ||||||||||||||
|
|
| Description |
| The epic life and times of one of the most important political figures in our history. He was the Great Compromiser, a canny and colorful legislator and leader whose life mirrors the story of America from its founding until the eve of the Civil War. Speaker of the House, senator, secretary of state, five-time presidential candidate, and idol to the young Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is captured in full at last in this rich and sweeping biography that vividly portrays all the drama of his times. David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler present Clay in his early years as a precocious, witty, and optimistic Virginia boy, raised on a farm, who at the age of twenty transformed himself from bumpkin to attorney-a shrewd and sincere defender of the ordinary man who would be his eventual political base. The authors reveal Clayrs"s tumultuous career in Washington, one that transformed the capital and the country. Nicknamed "the Western Star," Clay became the youngest Speaker of the House shortly before the War of 1812 and transformed that position into one of unprecedented power. Then, as a senator, he joined and sometimes fought John Calhoun and Daniel Webster to push through crucial legislation affecting everything from slavery to banking. Commonly regarded as the greatest U.S. senator in history, Clay served under ten presidents and overshadowed most of them, with the notable exception of his archrival Andrew Jackson. Clay ran unsuccessfully for president five times, and his participation in the deadlocked election of 1824 brought about the "Corrupt Bargain" with John Quincy Adams that made Clay secretary of state-and haunted him for the rest of his career. As no other book, Henry Clay humanizes Clayrs"s marriage to plain, wealthy Lucretia Hart, a union rumored to be mercenary on his part but that lasted fifty-three years and produced eleven children. Featuring an inimitable supporting cast including Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, James Polk, and Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is beautifully written and replete with fresh anecdotes and insights. But it is Henry Clay who often rises above them all. Horse trader and risk taker, arm twister and joke teller, Clay was the consummate politician who gave ground, made deals, and changed the lives of millions. His life is an astounding tale-and here superbly told. |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notes/Review |
| Henry Clay of Kentucky was a US Representative, US Senator, and Secretary of State (under John Quincy Adams) in the decades leading up to the early 1850s. He also repeatedly ran unsuccessfully for president. Although he had many nicknames, the one I heard him most often called was "The Great Compromiser". This, I understood, was due primarily to his work on both the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. These were the years when the slavery issue was threatening the republic. These two compromises are commonly thought to have delayed Southern secession and the Civil War. It was the hope of Clay that they would prevent the dissolution of the Union. I thought the book was well-researched and well-written. The authors did a good job of placing Clay in his context. We learn not only who the other major figures of the day were, and Clay's relation to them, but we also get enough of the social and economic issues that we can make sense of Clay's positions and actions. The subtitle of the book is "The Essential American". For much of the book, I scratched my head over this. I have read the whole-life biographies of the presidents that Clay worked with, so I had a pretty good idea of Clay's place in history. But for much of this book, it seemed like the authors were downplaying Clay's role. In the end, I don't think Clay was "The" essential American, but I do think he was "An" essential American. I think things would have turned out much differently had he not done what he did. Recommended for those who want to learn more about the lead-up to the Civil War. And now I will digress a bit... The parts of the book I found most fascinating were those dealing with Clay's relationship with Andrew Jackson. I read a Jackson biography several years ago; a book I found a bit less than satisfying. I came away from that book with a sense that I didn't really like Jackson the man, and was ambivalent about Jackson the President. From Clay's perspective (at least as drawn by the authors), Jackson was neither a good man nor a good president. Sometimes when I read history I can't help but relate what I read to current events. History doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes. We are told that that Trump's favorite president was Jackson. I seriously doubt that DJT knows anything about Jackson, other than he's on the $20 bill. I'm sure his minions (such as Bannon) know about Jackson and spoke highly of him in Trump's presence, so I'm guessing that's why Trump is a fan. Jackson basically fought an illegal war in Florida (long before his presidency). He killed a man in a duel (for insulting his wife). Jackson was pretty much responsible for Indian removal (see Trail of Tears). The focus of his presidency was eliminating the Bank of the United States (therefore it's ironic he's on the $20 bill). I'm sure he did something as president that I think was good, but nothing comes to mind. Here are a few nuggets found in this Clay biography (sorry, I didn't note the page numbers): - Jackson's relentless program of defamation had obviously hurt Adams and Clay. Clay believed that the worst said about [Jackson] was all too true. Jackson had not only lied but had been caught in that lie, and the great majority of voters had not cared. "No greater calamity [than Jackson's election] has fallen to our lot since we were a free people." Something beyond politics, beyond elections, beyond speeches and policies, was terribly wrong with the country. - Other than Martin Van Buren, Jackson's cabinet choices were a singularly undistinguished group of political cronies with few qualifications for office. - Clay lamented that "the course of the new administration is so far worse than its worst enemies could have anticipated," because a "deluded people" had not only elected "a most incompetent but vindictive" president as well. |