Henry Clay

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.

Henry Clay's career spanned a half century of a great formative period in American history. 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. This compilation of ten volumes includes Clay's letters, letters to Clay, his speeches, and other documents identified as his personal composition. Publication of this book was assisted by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.