Daniel Webster and the Seventh of March Address

       Daniel Webster, originally a lawyer, was a congressman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the United States Congress. Under the administration of Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore, he also served as the Secretary of State. Webster is especially famous for his "Seventh of March Address", which pushed for sectional compromise regarding slavery. He argued that Southerners must not secede from the Union for the sake of preventing war while advising Northern abolitionists to refrain from taking antislavery measures.
       On March 7, 1850, Webster delivered this address, introducing his speech with the immaculate words, "Mr. President, I wish to speak today, not as a Massachusetts man, nor as a Northern man, but as an American, and a member of the Senate of the United States...I speak for the preservation of the Union. Hear me for my cause."
        Webster saw that it was pointless for Americans to make strides in order to abolish slavery where it had already long-existed, nor did he support extending slavery to new territories gained in the southwest from Mexico. He saw slavery as a vital aspect of America's agriculture industry that should be purposefully utilized within the Union, not unnecessarily spread where plantation agriculture was not present. Due to the fact that Webster saw slavery as a benefit towards agriculture in the South, he asserted that fugitive slave laws be tightened in order to uphold the principle that slaves are a piece property that their masters were entitled to by all means.
         However, little did Webster know that this speech would serve as the basis for the downfall of his career, reputation, and stake the future of the nation as he contended these ideas over the duration of this three-hour speech. Webster received harsh criticism for his speech and was seen as a traitor to the Northerners for failing to support their approach towards slavery. It was suspected that he attributed his speech to gain the support of the South as part of a deal. As a result of Webster presenting this address to such an immense audience, the sectional divide between the North and South only continued to grow as a failure from compromise after compromise occurred. Thanks to the ability to mass print texts during the 19th century, the speech was printed in many newspapers, which lead to an abundance of reactions to the speech. These reactions ranged from Northerners appealing to his intention to compromise to absolute condemnation by abolition-minded civilians and writers.
         In the end, Webster acted as a leading proponent to the Compromise of 1850 including the Fugitive Slave Act. His career in the Senate was intermittently concluded due to the major dent on his reputation until he re-entered as Secretary of State under President Millard Fillmore. However, Webster was never able to thoroughly from his fallout on the seventh of March no matter his efforts to regain popularity or clear his name.

       

"No living man has done so much to debauch the conscience of the nation." - Reverend Theodore Parker

"As to Mr. Webster's speech: it has been better praised by his enemies and better condemned by his friends than any speech ever before made by any statesman of his standing." - The Vermont Watchman and State Journal 

Sources
https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/webster-daniel
https://www.dartmouth.edu/~dwebster/speeches/seventh-march.html
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Speech_Costs_Senator_His_Seat.htm
http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/daniel-webster-risks-it-all-on-the-seventh-of-march/