The Papers Of Henry Clay

This supplement to The Papers of Henry Clay contains documents discovered too late to be included in the proper chronological sequence in earlier volumes. Spanning the years from 1793 to 1852, the items shed important light on Clay's early years in Kentucky, his legal career, and his work for the Bank of the United States. Material dealing with the "Corrupt Bargain" charge is particularly rich, and many of the letters that appear in this volume fill gaps in exchanges already published. Clay's correspondence with Benjamin Watkins Lee of Virginia and Mary Bayard, wife of Delaware senator Richard Henry Bayard, is especially interesting.An essay on Clay portraits by Clifford Amyx, professor emeritus of art at the University of Kentucky, provides a detailed discussion of the paintings, statues, busts, engravings, and daguerreotypes that featured Clay as the subject. Appended to the essay is a calendar listing each major work, the artist, date of completion, and present location. A comprehensive bibliography of works cited in the entire series will benefit researchers seeking information in addition to that provided in the annotations. This supplement is an essential addition to the earlier volumes in the series.

The Papers of Henry Clay span the crucial first half of the nineteenth century in American history. Few men in his time were so intimately concerned with the formation of national policy, and few influenced so profoundly the growth of American political institutions. The year 1837 found Henry Clay hard at work in a successful effort to organize and strengthen the new Whig party. In his attempt to provide for it an ideological core, he emphasized restoration of the Bank of the United States, distribution of the treasury surplus to the states, continued adherence to his Compromise Tariff Act of 1833, and federal funding of internal improvements. The achievement of these goals, Clay reasoned, would mitigate the severe impact of the Depression of 1837 and sweep the Whigs into the White House in 1840. Soon after the election of 1836, Clay began running again for the presidency. By 1838 it was clear to him that he would have to come to grips politically with the long-muted slavery question. This he did in February 1839 in a Senate speech that was so proslavery, anti-abolitionist, and racially extremist that it cost him the Whig presidential nomination at the Harrisburg convention in December 1839. William Henry Harrison was nominated in his stead and won handily. But one month after his inauguration Harrison died and Vice President John Tyler, a states' rights Democrat turned Whig, was elevated to the presidency. Senator Clay emerged from his disappointment at Harrisburg as the acknowledged leader of the Whig party and further unified it in a wide-ranging assault on the Tyler administration's refusal to support Whig principles. By the end of 1843 Tyler had been broken, the Whig party was Clay's to lead, and the Kentuckian was again in the presidential lists. Confident that 1844 would surely be his year, Clay unfortunately failed to see the formation and growth of the black cloud that was Texas annexation. Publication of this book was assisted by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

The Papers of Henry Clay span the crucial first half of the nineteenth century in American history. Few men in his time were so intimately concerned with the formation of national policy, and few influenced so profoundly the growth of American political institutions. Volume 7, the fourth and final of those dealing with Clay's role as secretary of state, carries the story of his career from January 1, 1828, to March 3, 1829. During these fourteen months, Clay and President John Quincy Adams strive unsuccessfully to solve a number of nagging diplomatic problems before leaving office. Among these are the northeast boundary controversy with Great Britain, the exclusion of American trade from the British West Indies, and the settlement of U.S. spoliation claims with France. Equally frustrating to Clay is the fact that the enormous amount of time and effort he has expended in Adams's reelection campaign has produced so little in return. To his genuine amazement and dismay, Andrew Jackson defeats Adams decisively. The volume ends in March 1829 with Clay facing an uncertain future. Unsure whether he wants again to practice law, he contemplates instead the prospect of managing "Ashland," his Lexington estate. At the same time, convinced that the Jackson administration can only end in disaster, Clay's thoughts turn to running again for the White House in 1832. With this possibility in mind, the nation's ninth secretary of state leaves Washington for home. Publication of this book was assisted by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

This fourth volume in the ten-volume series covers the career of Henry Clay during his first year as Secretary of State in the cabinet of President John Quincy Adams. Within a month after taking office, Henry Clay described the Department of State as "no bed of roses." Even though routine papers bearing his signature have been omitted by the editors, the 950 pages of documents included in this volume show that many duties filled Clay's days and nights. The evidence in autograph drafts and the meagerness of revision in the official documents indicate the need for major reconsideration of Clay's role in United States foreign relations during the presidency of John Quincy Adams. The range of issues emerging in these papers is broad, and the duties were obviously more than the limited staff of the Department of State could satisfactorily perform. But if, as a result, the United States suffered a major diplomatic defeat during the British revision of trade regulations, Clay's instructions to the Panama mission marked him as a statesman of world stature. Publication of this book was assisted by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

For Secretary of State Henry Clay and the Adams administration, 1827 is a year of crisis. Turbulent relations with Latin America are marked by the seizure of American trading vessels off Montevideo. Border strife with Britain threatens in northern Maine, while American retaliation for the closing of the British West Indies to U.S. trade provokes warnings of war from the opposition in Congress. With the campaign for the next presidency in full swing, Clay is again forced to defend himself against Andrew Jackson's charges of "bribery and corruption." Opposition gains in the fall elections foreshadow Jackson's 1828 victory, but at year's end, the resilient Clay continues to hope. Publication of this book was assisted by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.