Tallmadge Amendment

Definition

The Tallmadge Amendment was a proposal introduced during the Missouri Crisis in 1819 that sought to prohibit the further spread of slavery in the United States. It was a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over the expansion of slavery and the balance of power between slave states and free states.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Tallmadge Amendment was introduced by New York Congressman James Tallmadge Jr. during the debate over Missouri's application for statehood in 1819.
2. The amendment proposed to prohibit the further introduction of slavery in Missouri and to gradually emancipate all enslaved people in the state.
3. The Tallmadge Amendment was a direct challenge to the expansion of slavery and the political power of slaveholding interests in the United States.
4. The debate over the Tallmadge Amendment highlighted the growing tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery and its expansion.
5. The failure of the Tallmadge Amendment ultimately led to the Missouri Compromise, which temporarily resolved the crisis but set the stage for future conflicts over the issue of slavery.

Review Questions

• Explain the key provisions of the Tallmadge Amendment and how it sought to address the issue of slavery's expansion.
  • The Tallmadge Amendment proposed to prohibit the further introduction of slavery in Missouri and to gradually emancipate all enslaved people in the state. This was a direct challenge to the expansion of slavery and the political power of slaveholding interests in the United States. The amendment sought to limit the spread of slavery and shift the balance of power away from the slave states, which was a major point of contention during the Missouri Crisis.
• Analyze the role of the Tallmadge Amendment in the growing tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery.
  • The debate over the Tallmadge Amendment highlighted the deepening divide between the North and South on the issue of slavery and its expansion. The North, which was increasingly opposed to the spread of slavery, saw the amendment as a way to check the power of the slave states. The South, however, viewed the amendment as a threat to their economic and political interests, and a violation of their right to self-determination. The failure of the Tallmadge Amendment and the subsequent Missouri Compromise set the stage for future conflicts over slavery, further exacerbating the growing sectionalism in the country.
• Evaluate the long-term significance of the Tallmadge Amendment and its impact on the ongoing debate over the expansion of slavery in the United States.
  • The Tallmadge Amendment, though ultimately unsuccessful, was a pivotal moment in the broader struggle over the expansion of slavery in the United States. It represented a bold attempt by the North to challenge the political and economic power of the slave states, and it highlighted the growing tensions between the two regions. While the Missouri Compromise temporarily resolved the crisis, the Tallmadge Amendment's failure set the stage for future conflicts over slavery, which would eventually lead to the Civil War. The amendment's legacy lies in its role in shaping the national discourse on slavery and its expansion, and in its enduring impact on the political and social dynamics of the antebellum United States.

Related terms

Missouri Compromise: An agreement reached 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.

Slave Power: The perceived political and economic influence wielded by slaveholding interests in the United States, particularly in the antebellum period.

Sectionalism: The heightened sense of regional identity and interests that divided the North and South in the decades leading up to the Civil War.