Henry Clay creator of the "second" Missouri Compromise.  At the age of twenty-eight he became a senator despite the age requirement of thirty.

A "Second" Missouri Compromise


     Controversy over Missouri's Constitution almost caused Missouri to not become a state.  In the Missouri Constitution there was a provision that stated that there could be no free blacks or mulattoes.  This violated the federal Constitution because all citizens of each state are entitled to all privileges of citizens in other states per Article IV, Section 2.  Since there were free black citizens already in many states Missouri would be violating the federal Constitution by not allowing free blacks citizenship.  The "second" Missouri Compromise was created by Henry Clay to remedy this.  This compromise was that although this provision was in the Missouri Constitution the state would never enforce it.  By not enforcing this provision Missouri would not be in violation of Article IV, Section 2 of the federal Constitution.