USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Clay threw his support behind second-place finisher John Quincy Adams and helped build support for him in Congress. Adams won the election and named Clay his secretary of state shortly thereafter.

Detailed explanation-2: -To this end, Clay achieved a number of important successes as Secretary of State. Clay oversaw the settlement of twelve commercial treaties, more than all earlier administrations, and developed economic ties with the newly independent Latin American republics.

Detailed explanation-3: -He was elected to the United States Senate in 1806, even though he had not yet reached the constitutionally required age of 30. Following two non-consecutive terms in the Senate, Clay was elected to the House of Representatives, where he quickly rose to become Speaker.

Detailed explanation-4: -Henry Clay was “The Great Compromiser.” As a statesman for the Union, his skills of negotiation and compromise proved invaluable in helping to hold the country together for the first half of the 19th century. His compromises quelled regionalism and balanced states’ rights and national interests.