Henry Clay was the first Speaker of the House who really helped establish the position and increase the power. Clay served three terms as Speaker of the House and in those years demonstrated how his tactics were effective as well as successful. Henry Clay was personable, and his youth and assertiveness made him a popular choice as a spokesman. Clay used his position to place his allies on important committees to achieve these goals. As Clay gained influence in the House of Representatives, he was able to present his American system and the ideas founded in the American Colonization Society. Henry Clay's greatest achievement as Speaker of the House was the drafting of the Missouri Compromise, which earned him the title the Great Compromise. Henry Clay became a very powerful, respected, and effective Speaker of the House and set a precedent for future presidents. Henry Clay entered the House of Representatives as a popular and aggressive man. On March 4, 1811, Clay began his first term as Speaker of the House with goals that inspired other members of Congress. On the first day of his first term in the House of Representatives, Clay was elected President, which had never happened before and has not happened since. Clay was young, intelligent, and had a spirit that drew people to him. He was nicknamed the “Star of the West,” because many people thought he was destined for a bright future. These personality traits made Clay popular as President and in turn, he was able to accomplish many feats during his tenure. As a freshman Congressman and Speaker of the House, Henry Clay pushed the limits and increased the power of the position, making it second only to the president. Henry Clay's first acts as an orator were a premonition of his Erican political system. Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2004.Clay, Henry. The Papers of Henry Clay, 1797-1852. Edited by James Hopkins, Mary Hargreaves, Robert Seager II, Melba Porter Hay et al. 11 vols. University Press of Kentucky, 1959-1992.Heironimus, Norval Chase, “The Missouri Compromise” (Indiana: M. Cullaton & Co, 1898).Henry Clay, as quoted in Calvin Colton, “The Life, Correspondence, and Speeches of Henry Clay,” in The American System - Mr. Clay's Internal Improvement Policy (Indiana: AS Barnes & Co) 428-445.Henry Clay, as quoted in Daniel Mallory, “The Life and Speeches of the Hon. Henry Clay” in Discourse on American Industry (Michigan: R.P. Bixby & Co, 1843), 507-529. Remini, Robert Vincent. Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union. New York: W. W. Norton, 1991.Schurz, Carl. Henry Clay, Volume 1. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1915.