History
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On October 1, 1842, in what was then an open tract in this city square, Henry Clay, leader of the Whig Party, addressed an immense multitude when Hiram Mendenhall, a Quaker abolitionist, presented him, on behalf of the Indiana Anti-Slavery Society, with a petition signed by many people asking him to free his slaves. In an eloquent reply, Clay criticized the act as a breach of hospitality, described the difficulties and perils of immediate emancipation, and advised Mendenhall to begin his work of benevolence at home. Clay’s rejoinder was overwhelmingly applauded, yet the incident later became an important factor in his defeat for the presidency in 1844 and in the spread of anti-slavery sentiment that contributed to the dissolution of the Whig Party, the organization of the Republican Party, and finally to the Civil War and ultimate emancipation.
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Richmond, Indiana · United States
