He returned to the U. Senate from to The treaty settled the Maine boundary, increased U. The agreement also ushered in an era of rapprochement between the two nations, allowing the U. Government to focus on westward expansion. Webster extended diplomatic protection to U.
He resigned from the Secretaryship in due to financial difficulties and a disagreement with President Tyler over the annexation of Texas , a move stridently opposed by Webster. After President Fillmore brought Webster back as Secretary of State in , Webster dedicated significant attention to domestic affairs such as the Compromise of and the Fugitive Slave Law. Webster intended to explain U. In Boston, Webster represented prominent businessmen in court and quickly became one of the highest paid lawyers in the country.
He argued several of the landmark cases in the early history of the Supreme Court that expanded federal authority, including Dartmouth College v. Woodward , McCulloch v. Maryland , and Gibbons v. Ogden At the same time, Webster was gaining fame as an orator. His physical appearance intensified his speeches, with a dark complexion and glowing, penetrating eyes. He was again elected to the House, serving from to , this time as a representative from Massachusetts.
He then traded his House seat for a seat in the elite Senate in , again representing Massachusetts. Grace, suffering from cancer, passed away on their journey to Washington. Two years later, Webster married Caroline LeRoy of New York, although rumors in the District continuously swirled about his alleged infidelity.
Although he had previously supported tariffs on foreign imports, Webster voted for the Tariff of , also known as the Tariff of Abominations. In a speech at Plymouth Rock, he concluded: In the nature of things, those who have not property, and see their neighbors possess much more than they think them need, cannot be favorable to laws made for the protection of property. When this class becomes numerous, it grows clamorous. It looks on property as its prey and plunder, and is naturally ready, at all times, for violence and revolution.
The new Massachusetts constitution, when finally adopted, did not follow Webster's advice. Webster sympathized with the Greek revolution against Turkish oppression. Although he didn't go as far as Edward Everett , who recommended actual support for the rebels, Webster asked, "What do we not, as a people, owe to the principle of lawful resistance? Webster was elected to Congress from Massachusetts in and served in the Senate from to During these years he underwent a political transformation, deserting his earlier free trade principles for strong support of the tariff.
Webster had come to equate protectionism with the national interest. In , in one of the greatest exchanges in Senate history, Webster opposed Nullification and argued for the supremacy of the federal government Webster Hayne Debate.
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