Though he is known primarily for his abolitionism, his military and diplomatic exploits, and his flamboyant personal life and political career, Cassius Marcellus Clay also served briefly--and turbulently--as a journalist. His crusading anti-slavery newspaper, the True American, touched off strong reactions in pre-Civil War Kentucky--and through his newspaper Clay struck a blow not only for civil rights but also for freedom of the press.

Clay was born at White Hall, the family estate near the Kentucky River, in the bluegrass region not far from Lexington. His mother was Sally Lewis Clay and his father was Green Clay, then the largest slave owner in the state and proprietor of one of the wealthiest plantations in Kentucky. Blessed with outstanding educational opportunities for that time, young Clay was sent to study at the home of Joshua Fry, a celebrated teacher, on the banks of the Dix River in nearby Garrard...