Henry Clay: Speech on South American Independence

Explanation and Analysis

The movement for self-government among the Spanish colonies in South America gained momentum following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Clay was in the forefront of American leaders who favored recognizing the new governments on the continent, both for idealistic and practical reasons. As early as 1813 he expressed the view that South America's political future was of greater importance to the United States than the political future of Europe. Clay grew frustrated with President James Monroe, who favored a cautious approach to South America that avoided antagonizing Spain, with whom the United States was negotiating over the acquisition of Florida. On May 9, 1820, Monroe sent a special message to Congress condemning Spain for attempting to link the ceding of Florida to a declaration that the United States would abandon the right to recognize the new South American governments. Despite this expression of outrage, the president's statement did not go far enough for Clay. The following day, he introduced a House resolution to send a diplomatic representative to one or more of the new South American states.

After discussing preliminary matters, Clay states that his latest resolution in support of the new governments is as important as any matter before the House. In his view, Monroe admitted that his South American policy had failed; the United States had followed Spain's wishes, whether any principles have been conceded or not. American recognition of the new governments should have occurred two years earlier, when it was most needed. Since then, the South American states continued to show their viability as free republics. In the manner that France came to the aid of Britain's rebellious American colonies, the U.S. government, he thinks, should not wait until the rest of the world recognized the Spanish American states before extending the hand of friendship toward them.

With his characteristic passion, Clay goes on to envision a commercial system linking North and South America. Banking and manufacturing would necessarily be centered in the United States, while the southern nations would supply a rapidly expanding market with their goods. “Our enterprise, industry and habits of economy” will ensure that the United States will never fare the worse in competition with its southern neighbors, he says. By twenty-first-century standards, Clay's views toward South America seem condescending and chauvinistic; in his own time, though, they were probably as liberal-minded as any held by a U.S. political leader.

Moving beyond economic self-interest, Clay gives another reason to forge an early alliance with South America: self-defense against Europe. A shared love of self-government unites the United States with the new republics against the despots of the Old World. The South American rebels have embraced U.S. ideals, even though the U.S. government has refused to aid them. Their desire to model their institutions upon our own will only increase if we recognize their freedom, Clay insists.

Clay plays upon patriotic feelings by declaring that the United States should not wait for the approval of European powers before recognizing its new neighbors. From there, he addresses the claim that the South American states are not ready for independence. Clay asserts boldly that, in some ways, these nations are ahead of the United States. He specifically notes that Grenada (Colombia), Venezuela, and “Buenos Ayres” (Argentina) have abolished slavery—though he quickly adds that he is not advocating that the United States do the same. His point is that “circumstances” allowed these nations to reach the point where they have been able to emancipate their slaves. Clay makes the case that the South American states have fully secured their independence and are creating enlightened societies within their borders. With these facts established, there is no reason to delay diplomatic recognition. To conclude, Clay mentions that he will be retiring from the House in the near future. Whether his resolution passes or fails, he at least takes pride in attempting to help the South American people. By alluding to the vast population the continent will contain in the future, he reminds the House that the United States ignores the new southern republics at its own peril.

Despite Clay's efforts, the House ultimately turned down a motion to send a minister to South America. Monroe refused to change his position of neutrality toward Spain and its rebel colonies; even the settlement of the Florida question in February 1821 failed to bring a shift in policy. Finally, in March 1822, Congress voted in favor of recognition of the new nations with Monroe's approval. Clay's views on hemispheric trade proved to be ahead of their time. By the close of the nineteenth century, the U.S. secretary of state James G. Blaine and President William McKinley were outlining an economic alliance between North and South America rooted in Clay's ideas.