Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was a leading American statesman, who first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests. His increasingly nationalistic views and the effectiveness with which he articulated them led Webster to become one of the most famous orators and influential Whig leaders in early America. As a leader of the Whig Party, he was one of the nation's most prominent conservatives, leading opposition to Democrat Andrew Jackson and the Democratic party. He was a spokesman for modernization, banking and industry.

During his 40 years in national politics, Webster served in the House of Representatives for 10 years (representing New Hampshire), in the Senate for 19 years (representing Massachusetts) and served as Secretary of State for three presidents. Webster tried, and failed, three times to win the presidency.

Webster was also one of the most successful lawyers of the era, appearing in several key Supreme Court cases that established important constitutional precedents that bolstered the authority of the federal government. As Secretary of State, he negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty that established the definitive eastern border between the United States and Canada.

Webster's desire to see the Union preserved and civil war averted led him to search out compromises designed to stave off the sectionalism that threatened war between the North and South. His support of the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Law angered his Northern abolitionist supporters. Webster believed that the compromise would end the debate over slavery once and for all, and if the return of fugitive slaves would help preserve the Union, he was all for it.

Webster died on Oct. 24, 1852. While his support of the compromise reached two years earlier had soiled an otherwise golden career, the accolades poured in for the fallen giant. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had openly revered Webster until the statesman supported the compromise and slave law, was also moved to eulogize the man, writing in his journal: "The sea, the rocks, the woods gave no sign that America and the world had lost the completest man. Nature had not in our days, nor not since Napoleon, cut out such a masterpiece …"

The digital collections of the Library contain a wide variety of material associated with Webster. A handy resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Webster such as manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library’s website. In addition, it provides links to external sites focusing on Webster and a bibliography containing selected works for both a general audience and younger readers.

Searching the Library’s collections for Emerson reveals several photographs and a treatise containing his stance on voting rights for women.

From the 1830s on, Emerson and a group of like-minded thinkers including Bronson Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Henry David Thoreau, and Elizabeth Palmer Peabody were based in Concord, Mass. The transcendentalist community at Concord not only shared radical religious views but also embraced forward-looking social reforms including abolition, temperance and woman suffrage.