What Is a Life Well Lived: Essay

The definition of a life well-lived is to speak for yourself, take risks, and put others before yourself. These rules are followed throughout the life of Cassius Marcellus Clay: a 19th-century American abolitionist.

Cassius Clay always spoke his own opinion despite the constant array of death threats and disagreements. Clay was born and raised in Kentucky which was a predominantly pro-slavery state. As an abolitionist in Kentucky, he often spoke against the raging majority, and while in the Kentucky House of Representatives he quickly lost the support of voters due to his opinions. “The most important conflict of Clay's career, the one that lay at the root of his other clashes and brought him to the attention of the American people, was his attack upon slavery.” Despite the continuing threats from unhappy pro-slavery citizens he continued to fight for the end of slavery, going so far as to publish an anti-slavery newspaper called True American. The amount of backlash from his newspaper was so great that Clay had to publish his newspaper in Cincinnati Ohio after a mob of approximately 60 men broke into his office and stole his equipment. Another historical figure who spoke for himself was Alexander Hamilton: an American politician, statesman, military commander, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a well-known writer who voiced his ideas and opinions, oftentimes against the majority of the public. Hamilton was a federalist, meaning he believed in a stronger federal government. However, many people were against and feared the idea of a strong and central government because of the corruption they experienced from king George the third before the American Revolution. Because of this fear, there was a massive struggle to find a successful balance between the state and the federal government. After the failure of the Articles of Confederation, which gave little power to the federal government, the Constitution was presented and was heavily criticized due to its failure to present the rights of American citizens. “In most conventions, anti-Federalists outnumbered the Federalist delegates, sometimes by considerable margins. The anti-Federalists agreed that the Articles of Confederation had weaknesses and flaws but thought that they could be solved with amendments to the existing articles. An entirely new constitution was not necessary, they argued, particularly one that gave ultimate authority to a central republican government.” Hamilton wrote a total of 51 essays defending the United States Constitution, called the Federalist Papers, against the wishes of many anti-federalists who believed the Constitution gave the Federal Government too much power and not enough power to the people.

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Cassius Clay also took many risks. While serving as a Kentucky State Representative his career was bound to lead him to wealth and luxury if he were to bend his opinions to those of other politicians. However, he continued to voice his own opinion hoping that the risks he took would pay off in the future. Every word he spoke was a risk and many times it led to the verge of life and death. There were multiple assassination attempts on Clay due to his outspoken opinions and beliefs. In 1843 during a political debate, a hired gunman named Sam Brown. Clay was shot in the chest, but managed to draw his Bowie Knife, tackled Brown, and stab him in the eye sockets multiple times, before throwing his body over a ridge. However, there was another attempt to end his life only six years later. While speaking about abolition, Clay was attacked by six men, the Turner brothers, who were all armed. Using his bowie knife, Clay managed to fend off all six and even managed to kill one. Both these assassination attempts were consequences of the risks he took to speak his mind. Another historical figure who took many risks is Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. He took office during an unstable and dangerous period in the United States, the Civil War. With constant disagreements and conflicts arising between northern and southern states, it was only a matter of time till violence erupted and war was declared. As president, he was heavily criticized and was under lots of pressure. The blood of thousands of soldiers, citizens, and slaves was on his hands. So every word he spoke, every action he made was a great risk.“Why should there be patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? In our present differences is either party without faith in being in the right? If the Almighty Ruler of Nations, with his eternal truth and justice, be on your side of the North, or on yours of the South, that truth and that justice will surely prevail by the judgment of this great tribunal of the American people.” During the civil war, Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus to silence people in the border states from speaking of leaving the union. One of his biggest risks was the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all slaves were now and forever free. This was risky because it gave the border states another reason to leave and join the Confederacy. If those states were to leave, specifically Maryland, nothing could stop the confederate army from sacking the capital. Although in the end, the Union would win the civil war these risks ultimately led to Lincoln’s death: assassination by a pro-slavery believer, John Wilkes Booth.

Cassius Marcellus Clay put others before himself. Throughout his entire life, Cassius put others before himself, despite the possibilities of wealth, success, and recognition. After his appointment as U.S. Minister to Russia, the civil war started. Before leaving for Russia, Clay gathered around 300 volunteers to protect the White House and U.S. Naval Yard from possible attacks from the confederacy. He refused to depart to Russia until Federal Troops arrived to protect the capital. This group of men was later known as Cassius M. Clay’s Washington Guards. About a year later Clay returned to the United States to accept the position of a Major General in the Union army from Lincoln. However, Clay publicly refused this position unless Lincoln freed the slaves that were under the control of the Confederacy. Both these examples show Cassius putting his country before himself despite the consequences it may have on his career and reputation. One more example that displays Cassius’ selflessness is his founding of the Cuban Charitable Aid Society, which helped the Cuban independence movement against Spain. Cassius donated a decent amount of his money to smaller organizations and people, showing his ability to help others before himself. Another group of people who follows this part of a life well-lived are Buffalo soldiers. Buffalo Soldiers was a nickname given to African-American cavalry soldiers. They often had to endure terrible conditions and discrimination to fight for their freedom. However, they were known to be some of the best soldiers because unlike white soldiers they had a true cause and motivation to fight. One Soldier who followed this definition perfectly is Henry Ossian Flipper, the first African American to graduate from the Military Academy West Point and became a second lieutenant of the U.S. Army. He faced constant discrimination from his peers but fought through it to benefit his country and his fellow African Americans. “One must endure these little tortures--the sneer, the shrug of the shoulder, the epithet, the effort to avoid, to disdain, to ignore--and thus suffer; for any of them are--to me at least-far harder to bear than a blow. A blow I may resist or ignore.” Regardless of his success as the second lieutenant, Flipper was eventually removed from his position due to racism in the military. However, the struggles he faced for the greater good of his people show how he put others before himself.

Cassius M. Clay lived a life well lived by speaking for himself despite the array of backlash, threats, and failures he stood out from the crowd and continued to voice his opinions. He also took risks which led to multiple assassination attempts on his life, yet he continued. Lastly, he put others before himself by refusing positions, wealth, and recognition for the benefit of others. In Conclusion, Cassius M. Clay is the perfect example of a Life Well Lived.