Other Speakers At Mock Town Hall

(See Image Source Here)

Listening to other students at our mock town hall, was quite informative. I took away new angles on individuals, many of whom I hadn't given too much thought to in my history classes of the past.

First, the portrayal of Henry Clay by Nick was very entertaining to watch. For, we always see Henry Clay the compromiser, or peacemaker, but we never see Henry Clay the unassertive or self-perceived failure. His belief was that slavery would slowly, ever so slowly fade away through incremental laws as opposed to an instantaneous abolition. One interesting fact I took away from his presentation, was that he believed that the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, (See Battlefields.org) would be a do-nothing law, or completely be ignored by the general populace. Instead, to his surprise, tensions only mounted as the bounty hunting industry of the United States was formed. It became clear that this, as Jefferson said, truly was a, "wolf by the ear", (See Monticello.org) situation. And, when Clay attempts to please everyone, he incurs the rage of the nation.