In celebration of our national heritage, we continue our Pride in America series by honoring Henry Clay, who was once described as the “beau ideal of a statesman.”
Known as the “Great Compromiser,” Clay’s statesmanship was instrumental in preserving the integrity of the Union throughout the contentious period of antebellum America. Clay first demonstrated his ability to navigate complex and contentious political issues in 1820. Leveraging his position as the Speaker of the House, Clay worked alongside President James Monroe and other Congressional leaders to facilitate the Missouri Compromise, pulling the nation back from the precipice of a sectional crisis and prohibiting the spread of slavery.
Several years later, in 1833, Clay once again steered the nation from disaster during the nullification crisis. In the aftermath of the Tariff of 1828, South Carolina’s nullification of the tariff prompted the Jackson administration to threaten military enforcement. Though Clay disagreed with the constitutionality of South Carolina’s action, he recognized that civil war posed an even greater evil. Clay was able to de-escalate the conflict by securing passage of a negotiated tariff that would placate the state without jeopardizing the tariff’s original purpose.
Clay’s final great act came in the twilight of his career when sectional tensions reared their head over the territories acquired during the Mexican-American War. At this critical juncture, Clay’s leadership and prudential judgement proved invaluable in securing the Compromise of 1850, postponing the tragedy of the Civil War for another decade.
In our current political environment, a misguided notion has taken hold that principles and compromise are somehow antithetical to each other. The life and career of Clay prove this dichotomy to be false. Principles deal with a question of ends, whereas compromise, properly understood, only deals with questions of means. Both are essential components of statesmanship.
Above all else, Clay was devoted to promoting liberty and national greatness, which he understood could only be achieved so long as America remained one united people. In a similar manner, the liberty and prosperity of Idaho depend on conservatives remaining united as a single movement. The life and career of Henry Clay remind us that in order to preserve this harmony, we cannot allow a difference of opinion regarding means to detract from our common principles.
