The most divisive issue perhaps in American history was slavery, and of course the most passionate speeches came in arguments about it. Still it is somewhat ironic that the speech widely considered to be the most eloquently delivered to Congress came from a Senator arguing for the retention of slavery. That speech came from Daniel Webster, creator of the eponymous dictionary sold (in updated editions) to this day.

On this day, March 7, in 1850, Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster delivered his three-and-a-half hour tour de force of a speech. He reframed the debate over slavery in historical terms rather than a moral issue, and warned that separating the union of states along slavery lines, as the Missouri Compromise had done, will not preserve it. It was soaring rhetoric – the kind taught in many courses today – though it hardly shifted the political winds.

While he was praised by many in the pro-slavery South, Webster’s own colleagues in the New England states quickly distanced themselves from him. Many decided that Webster’s bid for the presidency caused him to re-align his beliefs. Horace Mann, a Massachusetts statesman, called it a “vile catastrophe” and the poet-philosopher noted “The word ‘Liberty’ in the mouth of Mr. Webster sounds like the word ‘love’ in the mouth of a courtesan.”