Henry Clay Should have been Pr essays

Henry Clay Should have been Pr essays I chose Henry Clay as the person who I think should have been president instead of these four other men. These other men were incompetent, they lacked leadership, and they each didnt have much support. None of them had much drive or motivation to be a good president, and as for a couple of them, they didnt have much political background at all. Henry Clay, on the other hand would have made a fantastic president instead of these four men. Even though he had already run for president three times, and lost, he still had the potential to be a great president. He had a vast background in politics. He had so much to do with what was going on that time in politics, it seem as if he never died (, from our pages of our history book that is). Henry Clay was a great man and I believe that he stood head-and-shoulders above the rest of the presidents of the 1850s. He was a great man who was secretary of state under John Quincy Adams and an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency in 1824, 1832, and 1844. He was one of the most popular and influential political leaders in American history. His genius in the art of compromise three times resolved bitter political conflicts that threatened to tear the nation apart, winning him the title The Great Pacificator. Clay was born on April 12, 1777, in Hanover County, Virginia, to a middle-class family. After studying law with the eminent George Wythe, Clay, at the age of 20, moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where he developed a thriving practice. He was blessed with a quick mind, a flair for oratory, and an ability to charm both sexes with his easy, attractive manner. Clay, who was ambitious for worldly success, married into a wealthy, and socially prominent, family and soon gained entry into Kentucky's most influential cliques. While still in his 20s, he was elected to the state legislature, in which he served for six years, until 1809. ...