This dramatic lithograph, published on the cusp of the Civil War, shows Daniel Webster (standing and raising his right hand at bottom right) as he delivers his famous "Seventh of March Speech" during the formation of the Compromise of 1850. The three-and-a-half hour speech was delivered in support of Senator Henry Clay's proposed compromise to ease tensions between slave and free states. Webster alienated abolitionists by urging the North to respect slavery in the South and excoriated those leaders in the South who openly discussed the possibility of secession. Although his speech was widely loathed by the New England abolitionists, it was praised by the era's moderates. The engraving depicts Webster's colleagues in the Senate, including Clay (positioned in the crook of Webster's raised arm), Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Calhoun, and Jefferson Davis. Vice President Millard Fillmore presides over the scene at center. Above the Senate floor are visitor's galleries, the gilded wood Eagle and Shield, a portrait of George Washington, a chandelier, and the domed ceiling of the chamber. The copyright credits the lithograph to James M. Edney of the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. A striking print capturing a scene from one of the most important junctures in the history of Congress.

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Condition: B+

A nice impression with a few light spots in the image. There is some light toning and a small dampstain in the bottom margin, and an archivally repaired edge tear in the left margin. Remnants of hinge tape on verso.