36°30' Parallel

Definition

The 36°30' parallel, also known as the Missouri Compromise Line, is a geographical line of latitude that played a significant role in the Missouri Crisis, a pivotal event in American history that addressed the issue of the expansion of slavery into new territories.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The 36°30' parallel was established as the boundary between slave and free states in the Louisiana Purchase territory as part of the Missouri Compromise.
2. The compromise was a delicate political balance that aimed to maintain the equal representation of slave and free states in the U.S. Senate.
3. The Missouri Crisis arose when Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state, which threatened to upset the balance of power in Congress.
4. The resolution of the Missouri Crisis set a precedent for the use of geographical boundaries to address the expansion of slavery, which would continue to be a source of conflict in the years leading up to the Civil War.
5. The 36°30' parallel remained an important political and geographical line until it was superseded by the Compromise of 1850, which allowed popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery in new territories.

Review Questions

• Explain the significance of the 36°30' parallel in the context of the Missouri Crisis.
  • The 36°30' parallel was the key geographical line established by the Missouri Compromise to maintain the balance between slave and free states. When Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state, it threatened to upset this balance and sparked the Missouri Crisis. The compromise allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state, but prohibited slavery north of the 36°30' parallel in the Louisiana Purchase territory, preserving the equal representation of slave and free states in Congress.
• Describe how the 36°30' parallel was used to address the issue of slavery expansion in the years leading up to the Civil War.
  • The 36°30' parallel served as an important geographical boundary that attempted to limit the spread of slavery into new territories. The Missouri Compromise set this line as the dividing line between slave and free states, but as the United States continued to expand westward, the issue of slavery's expansion remained a source of intense political and sectional conflict. The 36°30' parallel was eventually superseded by the Compromise of 1850, which allowed popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery in new territories, further exacerbating the tensions between the North and South that ultimately led to the Civil War.
• Analyze the role of the 36°30' parallel in the broader context of sectionalism and the growing political divisions between the North and South.
  • The 36°30' parallel was a key geographical marker that symbolized the growing divisions between the North and South over the issue of slavery. The Missouri Compromise, which established this line, was a delicate political balance that aimed to maintain the equal representation of slave and free states in Congress. However, as the United States expanded westward, the question of whether slavery should be allowed to spread into new territories became a source of intense sectionalism and political conflict. The 36°30' parallel represented an attempt to use geography to address this divisive issue, but ultimately failed to prevent the growing political and economic divisions between the North and South that would culminate in the Civil War.

Related terms

Missouri Compromise: A legislative agreement passed by the U.S. Congress in 1820 that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30' parallel in the Louisiana Purchase territory.

Slavery Expansion: The contentious debate over whether slavery should be allowed to spread into new territories and states as the United States expanded westward.

Sectionalism: The growing political and economic divisions between the Northern and Southern states, which were exacerbated by the issue of slavery and its expansion.