The Missouri Compromise of 1820
As people began heading to the NW Territory, arguments
sprang up over whether the Territory would be open to slavery
or not. Each side feared the other gaining more states and,
therefore, more votes in Congress. As states were being
formed, decisions had to be made on the slavery question.
Each side was getting more entrenched in their opinion and the
South was threatening to go their own way.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820
Henry Clay offered a compromise. He pushed the idea that
America should set a line thru the middle of the country. Any
new states that were created North of this line would be Free
States (no slavery allowed); any states South of this line would
be Slave States (slavery allowed). To keep the
representatives balanced in Congress, it was proposed that 1
slave and 1 free state be made admitted together. These
were the states Maine (Free State) and Missouri (Slave State)
The line was at the 36 degree by 30 degree line on the U.S.
map. It came to be known as the 36x30 line.
The Missouri
Compromise
Describe the Missouri
Compromise
It was a compromise that allowed slavery
to grow into some areas but not all. New
states above an imaginary line at the
36 x 30 parallel would be free states.
New states below the 36x30 parallel would
be slave
What made the Missouri Compromise
so important to America?
It kept the balance between slave states
and free states in Congress