Daniel Webster

Book excerpt: Few names in American history are more recognizable than that of Daniel Webster. No one would deny that Webster’s substantive domestic achievements assured his prominent place in American history and that his virtual embodiment of nation and union guaranteed his rank among the most significant personalities of the Jacksonian era. It can, however, be argued that his domestic resumé that garnered him the title “Defender of the Constitution” is rivaled by an impressive international one that yielded far-reaching results for a nation still struggling to find a respectable position among the Atlantic powers. In fact, his adroit handling of his signature accomplishment with Lord Ashburton earned him the additional title of “Defender of Peace.” Webster’s foreign policy achievements are too often given short shrift, falling victim to the textbook author’s inclination to hold Webster to the dominant domestic narrative that would ultimately see the nation fractured. Donald A. Rakestraw focuses on Webster’s critical diplomatic efforts--efforts that produced a legacy that ranges from the delineation of America’s northeastern boundary with Canada to the prevention of a serious rupture with Britain; from the advancement of national commercial expansion in the Pacific and East Asia to the establishment of a long-lived model for U.S. extradition policy; from his successful intervention on behalf of the so-called “Santa Fe prisoners” in Mexico to his role in promoting a crucial Anglo-American rapprochement.