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Daniel Webster was awesome. |
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BY Dustin |
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'''Daniel Webster''' ([[January 18]], [[1782]] – [[October 25]], [[1852]]) was a [[United States]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]. Famed for his ability as an [[orator]], Webster was one of the most important figures in the [[Second Party System]] from the 1820s to the 1850s. Like [[Henry Clay]], his passionate patriotic devotion to preserving the Union lent him a predisposition to finding compromises between the northern and southern factions of the country. |
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==Early life== |
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Webster was born in [[Salisbury, New Hampshire]]. He was the son of Ebenezer and Abigail Webster (née Eastman) and raised on his parents' farm (a small parcel of land granted to Ebenezer in recognition of his service in the [[French and Indian War]]). His parents were [[poverty|poor]], but dedicated to his education and thus not only hired private tutors to teach him but also sent him to the [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] in [[Exeter, New Hampshire]]. |
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His time at the Exeter Academy was short (he left after 9 months) and traumatic. As a child Daniel had a deep fear of public speaking and was unable to conquer his fear sufficiently to deliver the required public "declamations" that were a feature of the education system at the time. Indeed, despite his later success as an orator, he is recorded as having been so petrified at school that he simply refused to stand up, and returned to his room in shame and in tears. The reason for his short stay at the academy is unknown, but seems likely to be simply the inability of his parents to meet the fees. |
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From Exeter he went to [[Dartmouth College]], graduating [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1801. Here he laid to rest his terror of public speaking and began using his phenomenal memory and skill at speech writing. He became a member of the "United Fraternity" literary society, where he practiced the art of public speaking. So successful was he that shortly after his graduation the town of [[Hanover, New Hampshire|Hanover]] invited him to deliver their [[Independence Day (US)|Independence Day]] oration. On graduating from Dartmouth he took a legal apprenticeship (firstly under Thomas W. Thompson and then Christopher Gore) and then in 1805 he opened his first legal practice in [[Boscawen, New Hampshire]]. In 1807 his father took over the Boscawen firm when Webster opened a new practice in [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]]. |
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In 1808 he married his first wife, Grace Fletcher, who died in 1828. With her he had one son, Charles. |
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==Early political career== |
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From this point on his reputation as a lawyer grew quickly and he also became a [[United States Federalist Party|Federalist party]] leader. In 1812 he was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] on the strength of his opposition to the [[War of 1812]]. He served two terms in the House before leaving Congress in 1816 and moving to [[Marshfield, Massachusetts]] (40 miles south of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] near [[Plymouth, Massachusetts]]). |
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[[image:Daniel Webster.jpg|thumb|Daniel Webster]] |
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In 1816, Webster was asked to help in a legal matter by representing [[Dartmouth College]]. In the wake of the [[Thomas Jefferson|Jeffersonian]] [[United States Democratic-Republican Party|Republicans']] success in the [[New Hampshire]] elections (they gained the [[governor]]ship and a majority in the [[state legislature]]) the state decided to declare Dartmouth a public institution. They altered the constitution and the size of the College's trustee body and then added a further board of overseers, which they put into the hands of the state senate. In essence they seized control of a private body without consultation or any offer of compensation. Webster assisted his friend Jeremiah Smith in fighting the action all the way to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]], where he personally argued the case. The peroration of his speech [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dwebster/speeches/dartmouth-peroration.html] was both emotional and well-reasoned. Due in large part to Webster's efforts, the court decided five to one in Dartmouth's favor. |
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In 1822, Webster returned to [[Congress of the United States|U.S. Congress]] from Boston, and in 1827 he was elected to the [[United States Senate|Senate]] from the state of [[Massachusetts]]. Shortly after that, in 1828, his first wife, Grace, died. He later married Caroline LeRoy. |
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After the demise of the Federalist party he joined the [[United States National Republican Party|National Republican party]]. Here he chose to ally himself with [[Henry Clay]], endorsing federal aid for projects to build roads in the West (''see [[Internal improvements]]''). In 1828, in response to the changing economic landscape in Massachusetts (there was a shift towards the manufacturing sector), he backed the high-tariff bill. This angered Southern leaders and brought Webster into dispute with [[South Carolina]]'s [[Robert Young Hayne]], who argued that his state had the right to overturn this particular piece of legislation. Webster, however, was successful in defending his stance in a Senate debate of 1830, culminating in his second reply to Hayne [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dwebster/speeches/hayne-speech.html] in which he uttered the famous phrase, "liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable". It is possibly one of the greatest speeches ever delivered in the U.S. Senate. |
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In 1833 he joined forces with President [[Andrew Jackson]] to defeat South Carolina's continued attempts at [[nullification|nullifying]] the tariff. At the same time, Webster and his fellow [[United States Whig Party|Whigs]] battled Jackson over other matters, most notably what they saw as Jackson's attack on the National Bank. In 1836 Webster was one of three [[United States Whig Party|Whig party]] candidates to run for the office of [[President of the United States|President]], but he only managed to gain the support of Massachusetts. This was the first of several unsuccessful attempts at gaining the presidency. |
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==As Secretary of State== |
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President [[William Henry Harrison]] appointed Webster to the prestigious post of [[Secretary of State]] in 1841, a post he retained under President [[John Tyler]] after the untimely death of Harrison only a month after his inauguration. In September 1841, an internal division amongst the Whigs over the question of the National Bank caused all the Whigs, barring Webster, who was in Europe at the time, to resign from Tyler's [[United States Cabinet|cabinet]]. |
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In 1842, he was the architect of the [[Webster-Ashburton Treaty]], which resolved the [[Caroline Affair]], established the definitive Eastern border between the United States and [[Canada]] (Maine and New Brunswick), and sealed the final peace between the United States and [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. But despite this great success, he succumbed to Whig pressure in May 1842 and finally left the cabinet. |
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==Later career and death== |
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[[Image:Daniel Webster stealing Henry Clay's thunder - cartoon - Project Gutenberg eText 16960.jpg|thumb|''Webster stealing [[Henry Clay]]'s thunder'' - cartoon reproduced in a 1921 history of the United States; the reference is to Webster's part in slavery debates held around 1850]] |
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In 1845 he was re-elected to the Senate where he opposed both the annexation of [[Texas]] and the resulting [[Mexican War|war with Mexico]]. However, the country was becoming more polarized on the issue of the expansion of [[slavery]] and, despite opposing such expansion, Webster found himself faced with the prospect of the breakup of the Union. On [[March 7]], [[1850]], in one of his most memorable speeches before the Senate, he supported the [[Compromise of 1850]], thereby repulsing Southern threats of [[secession]] while urging Northern support for a stronger law for the recovery of fugitive slaves. In July 1850, Webster was once again named Secretary of State, under President [[Millard Fillmore]], and he supervised the strict enforcement of the [[Fugitive Slave Act|Fugitive Slave Act]]. This made him massively unpopular with the anti-slavery lobby but his action helped delay southern secession. |
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Daniel Webster died on [[October 24]], [[1852]] at his home in [[Marshfield, Massachusetts|Marshfield]] as a result of a brain hemorrhage after he fell from his horse and took a crushing blow to the head. |
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After his death, [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]] wrote: |
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:Last Sunday I was at Plymouth on the beach....I supposed Webster must have passed, as indeed he had died at three in the morning. The sea, the rocks, the woods, gave no sign that America and the world had lost the completest man. Nature had not in our days, or not since Napoleon, cut out such a masterpiece. He brought the strength of a savage into the height of culture. He was a man in ''equilibrio''; a man within and without, the strong and perfect body of the first ages, with the civility and thought of the last. |
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== Legacy == |
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The [[USS Daniel Webster|USS ''Daniel Webster'']] (SSBN-626), [[Daniel Webster College]] in [[Nashua, New Hampshire]], and [[Webster, New York]] are named for the statesman. |
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In [[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]], [[James Stewart (actor)|James Stewart]]'s character is amazed to find out he will be sitting in the same seat that Daniel Webster sat in. |
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Some property owned by Webster was used to build the headquarters of the [[U.S. Chamber of Commerce]]. |
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Webster has been immortalized in the popular short story, "[[The Devil and Daniel Webster]]". |
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Webster's statue represents New Hampshire in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol building. |
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==See also== |
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* [[History of the United States (1789-1861)]] |
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* [[Origins of the American Civil War (2/4)]] |
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* [[The Devil and Daniel Webster]] |
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==References== |
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* {{cite book| first=Irving H.| last=Bartlett| year=1978| title=Daniel Webster|}} |
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* Baxter, Maurice G. ''Daniel Webster and the Supreme Court'' (1966) |
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* {{cite book| first=Thomas| last=Brown| year=1985| title=Politics and Statesmanship: Essays on the American Whig Party|}} |
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* Current, Richard Nelson. ''Daniel Webster and the Rise of National Conservatism'' (1955) |
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* Curtis, George Ticknor. ''Life of Daniel Webster'' (1870) |
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* {{cite book| first=Ronald P.| last=Formisano| year=1983| title=The Transformation of Political Culture: Massachusetts Parties, 1790s–1840s}} |
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* Hammond, Bray. ''Banks and Politics in America from the Revolution to the Civil War'' (1960), Pulitzer prize; the standard history. Pro-Bank |
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* {{cite book| first=Michael F.| last=Holt| year=1999| title=The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War| publisher=Oxford University Press| id=ISBN 0-19-505544-6|}} |
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* {{cite book| first=Daniel Walker| last=Howe| year=1973| title=The American Whigs: An Anthology|}} |
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* Lodge, Henry Cabot. ''Daniel Webster'' (1883) |
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* Ogg, Frederic Austin. ''Daniel Webster'' (1914) |
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* {{cite book| first=Robert V.| last=Remini| year=1997| title=Daniel Webster}} |
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* {{cite book| first=William G.| last=Shade| year=1983| title=Evolution of American Electoral Systems| chapter=The Second Party System| editor=Paul Kleppner, ''et al.'' (contributors)}} |
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===Primary sources=== |
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* Wiltse, Charles M. and Harold D. Moser, eds., ''The Papers of Daniel Webster'', (1974-1989). Published for Dartmouth College by the University Press of New England. ser. 1. Correspondence: v. 1. 1798-1824. v. 2. 1825-1829. v. 3. 1830-1834. v. 4. 1835-1839. v. 5. 1840-1843. v. 6. 1844-1849. v. 7. 1850-1852 -- ser. 2. Legal papers: v. 1. The New Hampshire practice. v. 2. The Boston practice. v. 3. The federal practice (2 v.) -- ser. 3. Diplomatic papers: v. 1. 1841-1843. v. 2. 1850-1852 -- ser. 4. Speeches and formal writings: v. 1. 1800-1833. v. 2. 1834-1852. |
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==External links== |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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{{commonscat}} |
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*[http://danorr.com/webster/index.html| Daniel Webster ] |
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**[http://216.202.17.223/hwdebate.htm|Webster-Hayne debate, 1830 on nullification & tariff] |
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**[http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=92c15815cc33e5443a38fa6ad21dca7b&c=moa&idno=ABK0760.0001.001&view=toc| ''The works of Daniel Webster...'' 6 vol, 1853 edition] |
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**[http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?sid=92c15815cc33e5443a38fa6ad21dca7b&c=moa&idno=ABP5165.0001.001&view=toc| ''The private correspondence of Daniel Webster'' ed. by Fletcher Webster. 2v 1857 edition] |
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*[http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dwebster/ In-depth Dartmouth College page on their most famous alumnus] |
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*[http://kiswebdesigns.com/danielwebster/ The Daniel Webster Birthplace Living History Project] |
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*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000238 Congressional biography] |
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* {{gutenberg author| id=Daniel+Webster | name=Daniel Webster}} |
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* Full text of ''[http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/13047 Daniel Webster]'' by [[Henry Cabot Lodge]] from [[Project Gutenberg]] |
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{{start box}} |
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{{succession box| |
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title= [[US Congressional Delegations from New Hampshire|U.S. Representative from New Hampshire]]| |
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before=| |
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after=| |
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years= 1813 – 1816 | |
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}} |
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{{succession box| |
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title= [[US Congressional Delegations from Massachusetts|U.S. Representative from Massachusetts]]| |
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before=| |
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after=| |
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years= 1823 – 1828| |
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}} |
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{{U.S. Senator box| |
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state=Massachusetts| |
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class=1| |
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before=[[Elijah H. Mills]]| |
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alongside=[[Nathaniel Silsbee]], [[John Davis]]| |
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after=[[Rufus Choate]]| |
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years= 1827 – 1841| |
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}} |
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{{U.S. Senator box| |
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state=Massachusetts| |
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class=1| |
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before=[[Rufus Choate]]| |
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alongside=[[John Davis]]| |
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after=[[Robert C. Winthrop]]| |
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years= 1845 – 1850| |
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}} |
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{{succession box| title=[[United States Whig Party|Whig Party]] [[President of the United States|presidential]] [[:Category:U.S. Whig Party presidential nominees|candidate]]| before=''(none)''| after=[[William Henry Harrison]]| years=[[U.S. presidential election, 1836|1836]] (lost)<sup>(a)</sup>}} |
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{{succession box| title=[[United States Secretary of State]]| before=[[John Forsyth]]| after=[[Abel P. Upshur]]| years=[[March 6]], [[1841]] – [[May 8]], [[1843]]}} |
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{{succession box| title=[[United States Secretary of State]]| before=[[John Clayton]]| after=[[Edward Everett]]| years=[[July 23]], [[1850]] – [[October 24]], [[1852]]}} |
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{{succession footnote| marker=<sup>(a)</sup>| footnote=The Whig Party ran regional candidates in 1836. Webster ran in [[Massachusetts]], [[William Henry Harrison]] ran in the Northern states, and [[Hugh Lawson White]] ran in the Southern states.}} |
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{{end box}} |
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{{USSecState}} |
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[[Category:1782 births|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:1852 deaths|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:Dartmouth College alumni|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:People from New Hampshire|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:U.S. Whig Party presidential nominees|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:Unitarian Universalists|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:United States Federalist Party|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:United States Secretaries of State|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:United States Senators from Massachusetts|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[Category:Welsh-Americans|Webster, Daniel]] |
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[[de:Daniel Webster]] |
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[[fr:Daniel Webster]] |
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[[he:דניאל ובסטר]] |
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[[nl:Daniel Webster]] |
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[[ja:ダニエル・ウェブスター]] |
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Revision as of 22:17, 29 March 2006
Daniel Webster was awesome.
BY Dustin