Missouri Compromise

Definition

The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 that aimed to resolve the conflict over the expansion of slavery into new territories and states. It allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine was admitted as a free state, maintaining the balance of power between slave and free states. This compromise also established a geographic boundary for slavery in the Louisiana Territory, which would influence future debates about slavery and contribute to tensions leading up to the Civil War.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Missouri Compromise was prompted by Missouri's request for statehood as a slave state, which threatened the balance between free and slave states in Congress.
2. The compromise established the 36°30′ parallel as the northern limit for slavery in the Louisiana Territory, except for Missouri, creating a geographical division between free and slave regions.
3. The agreement was seen as a temporary fix, highlighting the deepening sectional divides that would ultimately lead to increased tensions over slavery.
4. Although the Missouri Compromise succeeded in delaying a major crisis over slavery for a time, it set a precedent for future compromises that would become increasingly difficult to achieve.
5. The eventual repeal of the Missouri Compromise by the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 reignited conflicts over slavery and contributed significantly to the onset of the Civil War.

Review Questions

• How did the Missouri Compromise address the concerns surrounding the balance of power between slave and free states in Congress?
  • The Missouri Compromise addressed these concerns by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, thus maintaining an equal number of slave and free states in Congress. This helped to temporarily ease tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. Additionally, it established a geographic boundary for slavery in the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, which aimed to limit future conflicts over the expansion of slavery.
• Evaluate the long-term implications of the Missouri Compromise on sectional tensions and its role as a precursor to future conflicts regarding slavery.
  • The long-term implications of the Missouri Compromise included its failure to resolve underlying issues related to slavery and sectionalism. While it temporarily maintained peace between slave and free states, it did not address the moral and political disagreements about slavery itself. As new territories were opened up for settlement, debates intensified over whether they would permit slavery, which ultimately led to violent confrontations like those in 'Bleeding Kansas' following its repeal with the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
• Analyze how the Missouri Compromise reflects broader social and political dynamics in early 19th-century America regarding slavery and national unity.
  • The Missouri Compromise reflects the broader social and political dynamics of early 19th-century America by highlighting the contentious debate over slavery that was becoming increasingly polarized. The compromise was born out of a need for national unity amid growing sectional divides between an industrial North that favored free labor and an agrarian South that relied on slave labor. Despite its temporary success, it underscored the limitations of compromises in addressing moral questions about human rights versus economic interests, ultimately foreshadowing the violent conflicts that would emerge as the nation grappled with its identity leading up to the Civil War.

Related terms

Compromise of 1850: A series of laws aimed at resolving sectional tensions by addressing issues related to slavery, including admitting California as a free state and enacting a stricter Fugitive Slave Law.

Kansas-Nebraska Act: An 1854 law that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing settlers in those territories to decide on the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty, leading to violent conflict.

Sectionalism: A growing divide between the North and South in the United States, characterized by differing economic interests, cultural values, and attitudes towards slavery.