Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was a legislator and renowned orator whose speeches in Congress were widely reprinted for public circulation. Webster delivered his first public address as an undergraduate student at Dartmouth and went on to make dozens of speeches throughout his life. He rose to national prominence during the debates over the nullification of tariffs by the states, in which Webster argued for a strict adherence to the federal government and the Constitution. Throughout his long career, Webster's first priority was the preservation of the Union, and he served this goal most famously in his speech of March 7, 1850, on the compromise proposal of Henry Clay.
The Daniel Webster Speeches Collection contains pamphlets of speeches made by and about Daniel Webster, for the most part published during or shortly after Webster's lifetime. The earliest pamphlet in the collection was published in 1806, and the last in 1932. Many of the later pamphlets contain public eulogies made for Daniel Webster after his death in 1852. Webster's most famous speeches are represented in this collection, including his speech on the Compromise of 1850, his addresses on the national bank, and the noted speech at Niblo's Garden. Two autograph letters by Daniel Webster are also included in this collection. The MU Libraries purchased the Daniel Webster Speeches Collection from the Charles E. Tuttle Company of Rutland, Vermont, in 1946. More information about this collection can be found in library guide - Daniel Webster Speeches Collection, 1806-1932
