The Missouri Compromise of 1820

THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE OF 1820

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was a law that was addressing the growing tensions over slavery issues. The nation was divided not only geographically but also morally. This was an attempt to balance the interest of slave-holding and non-slave-holding states as America expanded westward. This was becoming a pressing concern. The south was a slave-holding territory, and the north was a non-slave-holding territory. Maintaining a balance between these two groups was pivotal to avoid a political crisis. 

In 1817 Missouri applied for statehood. Congress was going to approve Missouri's state constitution when the Tallmadge Amendment was introduced. This amendment banned slavery in Missouri and emancipated the ones that were already there. The House of Representatives passed the amendment but failed in the Senate. 

Henry Clay proposed that Congress admit Missouri to the Union. On May 3, 1820, the House passed the Senate version of the bill, and President James Monroe signed it into law, and admitted Missouri to the Union as a state that allowed slavery. This would upset the balance of power in congress and tip the scales on pre-slavery states. To maintain the balance Maine, which was part of Massachusetts at this time would be a free state. 

A significant aspect of the Missouri Compromise was the establishment of the 36°30' parallel as the boundary for future slavery in the Louisiana territory. Slavery would be prohibited in all new territories north of this line, while it would allow slavery south of the line. Although this eased tension a bit, it did not address the real issues of slavery itself. This would divide the north and the south for future conflicts.

The Missouri Compromise would go on for 34 years before it was appealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This allowed for territories to choose whether they would be pro or anti slaves states. This was known as a "popular sovereignty" This was very controversial since it overturned the Missouri Compromise which made Kansas a free state. There was also controversy in 1857, with the US Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford which ruled the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. This made abolitionists very angry thinking the government could legalize slavery in any state. The uprising violence was known as Bleeding Kansas. 

Although the Missouri Compromise was put in place to help with the slavery issues that divided the North and the South, the underlying issues of slavery and states' rights would continue to build up, eventually leading to the bloodiest conflict in American history.

References:

www.history.com

www.britannica.com

www.archives.gov