258 The War Party in Congress
There were abundant reasons to justify war with Great Britain , or with France , or with both of them . But there would probably have been no war with either of them had it not been for a few energetic young men in Congress . The leaders of this war party were Henry Clay and John C . Calhoun . Clay was born in Virginia , but as a boy he had gone to Kentucky . He represented the spirit of the young and growing West . He was a true patriot and felt angry at the way the British spoke of America and Americans , and at the way they acted toward the United States . He was a very popular man and won men to him by his attractive qualities and by his energy . Calhoun was a South Carolinian who had been educated in Connecticut . He was a man of the highest personal character . He had a strong , active mind , and he was fearless in debate . As with Clay so with Calhoun , they both felt the rising spirit of nationality . They thought that the United States had been pa - tient long enough . They and their friends gained a majority in Congress and forced Madison to send a warlike message to Congress .
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