Henry Clay, Against Annexation | Politics of the Presidency: Washington to Lincoln

Paul Steinig

To begin the video, I showed a map of the United States and its bordering areas in 1844. At the heart of the 1844 election were differing views on whether the country should annex Texas and Oregon into the United States. On this map I enlarged the words “Texas” and “Oregon” to emphasize their importance to the election and the video. Immediately afterwards, I added a picture of Henry Clay with reversed colors, later transforming it back to its original color scheme to create an ominous feeling against Henry Clay.

After this introduction, I begin to attack Clay’s stance on Texas by providing a quote that states Clay does not support the annexation of Texas. The topic of the annexation of Texas was very polarizing because of the implications of slavery, amongst other issues. Whether Texas became free or supported slavery, the balance of power would shift in Congress, creating a contentious problem that Clay sought to avoid. Immediately following this quote is a political cartoon of Clay leading a procession of Whigs. This image attacks the Whigs for their anti-annexation stance, as well as other smaller issues such as shutting down the Postal Service on Sundays.

The next image and quote addresses Clay’s feelings towards the Oregon territory. The territory featured a border dispute between the US and Britain, and this quote hints at the possibility that Clay would hand over Oregon to the British in opposition to the feelings of the population at large. Clay’s Whigs sought improvement internally through the implementation of the “American System.” By focusing on domestic pursuits, Clay was not caught up in the topic of adding new states to the Union.

Following the quotes related to annexation, the next quote attacks Clay’s stance on tariffs. Throughout my research, I noticed that Clay did not have a concrete stance on the tariff. This quote hints at his indecisiveness in regards to protection of local goods and producers. To appeal to a broad audience with varying views on the topic, Clay altered his stance on the matter in different parts of the country. In the North, he proposed a high tariff to support local industry, but in the South, he claimed to support a lower tariff to encourage international trade. This indecision demonstrates Clay’s hesitancy to alienate supporters in different regions of the country.

The following images and quotations show Polk’s stances on the tariff and annexation that differ with Clay’s. Polk opposed the tariff and all forms of protection, while also fully supporting the annexation of Texas and Oregon. These strong stances differ from Clay’s because they are specific and unyielding, clearly demonstrating to voters where he stands on these important topics. The last two images offer a direct visual comparison of the candidates in the election. Clay and his vice presidential candidate Frelinghuysen feature a red “x” through their faces. This poster is then supplanted by a poster of Polk and his vice presidential candidate Dallas. The phrase “Press Onward” was one that was used by Democrats during the election to increase support for the advancement of a Democratic agenda. The image then fades out, ending my argument against the election of Henry Clay in 1844.

Sources:

Map Image:

http://www.themapdatabase.com/wp-content/uploads/1839/10/us_texas-1839-atlas-mitchell-school-04.jpg

Clay Image One:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003688897/

Clay Quote One:

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive?p_theme=ahnpdoc&p_action=doc&p_product=EANX&p_nbid=D53U5AAOMTM1MjA4MDcyMS41ODgyMTk6MToxMToxMzcuMTY1LjEuMA&f_docref=image/v2:109E41AD5CE811F8@EANX-10B3B340A36F4230-10B3B3410364A700-10B3B343C0A6F630&p_do

Clay Cartoon:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008661444/

Clay Image Two:

http://www.aradergalleries.com/detail.php?id=3191

Clay Quote Two: