Missouri Compromise
1820-03-06Washington, D.C.high importance
Congress admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as free while restricting slavery north of 36°30′ in the Louisiana Purchase.
When Missouri sought statehood with slavery intact, the Union faced its first major sectional showdown over expansion. Speaker Henry Clay brokered a deal: Missouri entered as a slave state while Maine split from Massachusetts as a free state, preserving Senate balance. For remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30′, slavery was banned, except inside Missouri. The compromise delayed civil war but locked geography into political arithmetic.
Key Takeaways
1
Temporarily balanced slave vs free admission
2
Drew a geographical line over slavery's spread
3
Foreshadowed future crises when western territories opened