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Birth
On April 12, 1777, Henry Clay was born. -
Moves to Lexington, Kentucky
In late 1797, Clay moved to Lexington in hopes of gaining a career in law. -
Representative of Fayette County
In 1803, Clay became known as the representative of Fayette County in the Kentucky General Assembly. -
Ashland
In 1804, Clay started purchasing land and calling it Ashland. -
Tobacco
In the year of 1806, Clay began to use the plantation land that he bought and he started planting tobacco with his family. -
Sworn into the Senate
Even though Clay was just put into a spot as a representative, he was sent to the Senate to fill up a vacated seat. He was sworn in on December 29, 1806. -
End of Term
Three months after he was sworn into the Senate, the term ended. Clay decided to go back to Kentucky. -
Speaker of The Kentucky House of Representatives
After deciding to go back to Kentucky, Clay was elected as the Speaker of The Kentucky House of Representatives. -
Senate for a Second Time
Clay was then sent to the Senate for another time. But like the other, it was only to fill a vacated spot and it lasted shortly. -
House of Representatives and Speaker of the House
When Clay was only in his 30's, he was elected into the House of Representatives and was chosen as the Speaker of the House. He would be Speaker of the House until 1814. -
War Hawk
While holding the Speaker of the House position, Clay became one of the leaders of the well known group called War Hawks. -
American Colonizing Society
In the year of 1816, Clay helped create the American Colonizing Society. People thought he was fit for the job as a president. -
Missouri Compromise of 1820
One of the biggest, if not the biggest achievement in Clay's lifetime, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 did not allow slavery above the imaginary line. -
Senate
Clay was destined to be in the Senate. Although it took some time, Clay saw it as an opportunity to learn more about what he does for a job. -
Election and Whigs
Clay ran for president in 1832 but unfortunately lost. After his loss, he was determined to create a new party. It was known as the Whigs. -
Lost the Election... Again
In 1844, Clay was nominated to represent the Whigs in the presidential election. He lost, again and eventually retired because of this. -
Senate and No More Retirement?
One year after Clay retired, he decided that there was nothing to accomplish, so he went back to the Senate -
Compromise of 1850
In hopes to try and regain peace with the North and South, Clay drafted the last major bill that he would be a part of, the Compromise of 1850. It would add a new Fugitive Slave Act and ban slave trade in Washington D.C. -
Death
Two years after the major Compromise of 1850, Clay died of Tuberculosis.
