
Henry Clay
The Essential American
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Yen
About this listen
He was the Great Compromiser, a canny and colorful legislator whose life mirrors the story of America from its founding until the eve of the Civil War. Speaker of the House, senator, secretary of state, five-time presidential candidate, and idol to the young Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is captured in full at last in this rich and sweeping biography.
David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler present Clay in his early years as a precocious, witty, and optimistic Virginia farm boy who at the age of 20 transformed himself into an attorney. The authors reveal Clay's tumultuous career in Washington, including his participation in the deadlocked election of 1824 that haunted him for the rest of his career, and shine new light on Clay's marriage to plain, wealthy Lucretia Hart, a union that lasted 53 years and produced 11 children.
Featuring an inimitable supporting cast including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay is beautifully written and replete with fresh anecdotes and insights. Horse trader and risk taker, arm twister and joke teller, Henry Clay was the consummate politician who gave ground, made deals, and changed the lives of millions.
©2010 David Heidler and Jeanne Heidler (P)2018 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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A Detailed History
- By Daniel on 07-15-18
By: Fred Anderson
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The Coming Fury
- The Centennial History of the Civil War, Volume 1
- By: Bruce Catton
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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> The New York Times hailed this trilogy as “one of the greatest historical accomplishments of our time”. With stunning detail and insights, America’s foremost Civil War historian recreates the war from its opening months to its final, bloody end. Each volume delivers a complete listening experience. The Coming Fury (Volume 1) covers the split Democratic Convention in the spring of 1860 to the first battle of Bull Run.
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History As It Should Be
- By Bryan on 07-19-11
By: Bruce Catton
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Twilight at Monticello
- The Final Years of Thomas Jefferson
- By: Alan Pell Crawford
- Narrated by: James Boles
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, with good reason: His life was a great American drama, one of the greatest, played out in compelling acts. He was the architect of our democracy, a visionary chief executive who expanded this nation's physical boundaries to unimagined lengths.
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After Leaving Office
- By Roy on 09-23-10
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The First Congress
- How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government
- By: Fergus M. Bordewich
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The First Congress was the most important in US history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed - as many at the time feared it would - it's possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today.
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Compelling
- By Jean on 03-05-18
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Woodrow Wilson
- A Biography
- By: John Milton Cooper
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 35 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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John Milton Cooper, Jr., is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s preeminent Woodrow Wilson biographers. This thoroughly researched profile of America’s 28th president is universally hailed for its scholarship and insight into the life and career ofone of the nation’s most polarizing leaders.
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On the outside looking in
- By Doris on 09-02-13
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World of Our Fathers
- The Journey of the East European Jews to America and the Life They Found and Made
- By: Irving Howe
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 35 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, two million Jewish immigrants poured into America, leaving places like Warsaw or the Russian shtetls to pass through Ellis Island and start over in the New World. Though some moved on to Philadelphia, Chicago, and other points west, many of these new citizens settled in New York City, especially in Manhattan's teeming tenements....
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Spectacular but long
- By Len on 10-31-20
By: Irving Howe
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The Last Founding Father
- James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In this lively and compelling biography, Harlow Giles Unger reveals the dominant political figure of a generation. A fierce fighter in four critical Revolutionary War battles and a courageous survivor of Valley Forge and a near-fatal wound at the Battle of Trenton, James Monroe (1751 - 1831) went on to become America's first full-time politician, dedicating his life to securing America's national and international durability.
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Readable, but more hero worship than history
- By Elaine Martin on 12-22-10
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John Jay
- Founding Father
- By: Walter Stahr
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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John Jay was a central figure in the early history of the American Republic. A New York lawyer, born in 1745, Jay served his country with the greatest distinction, and was one of the most influential of its Founding Fathers. In this first full-length biography of John Jay in almost 70 years, Walter Stahr brings Jay vividly to life, setting his astonishing career against the background of the American Revolution. Drawing on substantial new material, Walter Stahr has written a full and highly enjoyable portrait of both the public and private man.
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A great book I'm thankful I've completed
- By Christopher L. Gregory on 12-23-24
By: Walter Stahr
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Bloody Mohawk
- The French and Indian War & American Revolution on New York's Frontier
- By: Richard Berleth
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In this narrative history of the Mohawk River Valley and surrounding region from 1713 to 1794, Professor Richard Berleth charts the passage of the valley from a fast-growing agrarian region streaming with colonial traffic to a war-ravaged wasteland. The valley's diverse cultural mix of Iroquois Indians, Palatine Germans, Scots-Irish, Dutch, English, and Highland Scots played as much of a role as its unique geography in the cataclysmic events of the 1700s - the French and Indian Wars and the battles of the American Revolution.
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excellent
- By Jonathan P Firl on 09-19-18
By: Richard Berleth
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Lafayette
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: Matthew Boston
- Length: 18 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In this gripping biography, acclaimed author Harlow Giles Unger paints an intimate portrait of the heroic young French soldier who, at 19, renounced a life of luxury in Paris and Versailles to fight and bleed for liberty - at Brandywine, Valley Forge, and Yorktown. A major general in the Continental army, he quickly earned the love of his troops, his fellow commanders, and his commander in chief, George Washington, who called him his "adopted son".
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WE GET IT! HE'S A "KNIGHT"
- By Anonymous User on 01-13-22
What listeners say about Henry Clay
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gus
- 01-30-21
Great biography
A splendid research; splendid writing. A fascinating biography of an outstanding orator and great American.
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- Josh
- 03-18-25
Excellent Biography
This is an excellent, learned biography that tells the incredible story of the life and times of Henry Clay. I highly recommend.
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- JJDeuce
- 11-21-19
To Know Henry Clay
This is the most complete audiobook I’ve listened to. The story fully portrays Henry Clay. The details are at times overwhelming, sometimes unnecessary. Absent many of them though, the book would lose some of its draw. The narrator, Jonathan Yen, is impeccable.
I wish there were such well-written, detailed, and narrated books about more historical figures.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-03-19
Too much fluff
A great story and a great American. Too much random information that I do not feel was relevant to a story of such a great man of history.
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- Owen Cook
- 01-06-20
Fascinating story, nicely told
Spanning the earliest days of the Republic to almost the eve of the Civil War, the life of Henry Clay provides a fascinating window into the development of American institutions and the personalities who shaped them.
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- Thor Finn
- 08-10-18
"probably" "possibly" "maybe" "could have"
I love biographies. I was looking forward to this one. But...I just got tired of the authors' apparent goal of bringing the events to life. When the British attacked Henry Clay's home when he was four, the troops destroyed much of the furnishings, including the feather beds. Henry's mother is standing there in a snowfall of feathers.
That's when I pulled the plug. I understand the desire to bring the people and their experiences to life. I just am not good at waiting for them while the authors make their imaginings the goal of their writing. The "Woman Who Smashed Codes" moved through the subject's history and the history of the US deftly. It was a wonderful biography.
So, I'm returning this book and not looking back.
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2 people found this helpful