USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Clay’s appointment as Secretary of State stirred controversy. His bid for the Presidency in the election of 1824 ended with no clear majority for any candidate. Clay lent his support to John Quincy Adams instead of Andrew Jackson, thereby violating the instructions of the Kentucky legislature.

Detailed explanation-2: -Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay and William Crawford were the primary contenders for the presidency. The result of the election was inconclusive, as no candidate won a majority of the electoral vote. In the election for vice president, John C. Calhoun was elected with a comfortable majority of the vote.

Detailed explanation-3: -Throughout his career, as senator, Speaker of the House, and secretary of state, Clay helped guide a fragile Union through several critical impasses. As senator, he forged the Compromise of 1850 to maintain the Union, but such compromises could not settle the fractious issues that ultimately resulted in Civil War.

Detailed explanation-4: -Clay became a full-throated advocate for the establishment of a national bank in 1816 and for liberating South American colonies from Spanish rule. He was also instrumental in crafting and passing the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which proved a short-lived solution to the growing national debate over slavery.