In 1819, Missouri Territory had enough people that it's government could ask Congress to become a state. This request ignited a new debate about slavery that threatened divide the country. Ultimately, Congressman Henry Clay negotiated a deal that temporarily resolved the issue. This agreement is known as the Compromise of 1820 or the Missouri Compromise. It stated that Missouri would join as a slave state, Maine would join as a free state, and slavery would be banned in most of the remaining Louisiana Territory.
But how does all of this fit into AP US History? Read on to learn more!
Table of Contents
The Details
First, let's get the details straight.
The whole debacle started when Missouri petitioned Congress to become a state. Many people honed in on an important question, the one that would dominate the discussion moving forward.
Would slavery be allowed in the state of Missouri?
Missouri straddles the geographic line between the North and the South. Critically, it's too far north to grow cotton and most of the other crops we associate with plantation agriculture. But it's too far south to be clearly part of the North.
Regardless, slavery existed in Missouri. The Spanish and French had both allowed it before the territory was purchased by the United States. By the time Missouri asked to become a state, thousands of enslaved people and slave owners lived in Missouri. It seemed likely that Missouri would continue to allow slavery if no other action was taken.
There were two main objections to this.
The first was political. If Missouri joined the union, they would be able to send two Senators and several Congressmen to Washington, D.C. It was presumed that these representatives would side with Southern causes. This would give the South more political power. It also normalized slavery spreading into western territories, which implied this process might be repeated in the future.
The second reason was moral. A small, but growing, coalition of people advanced the argument that slavery was immoral and inconsistent with American values. This included James Tallmadge, a congressman from New York. Tallmadge had previously worked to ban slavery in New York state, and he seized the opportunity to do the same in Missouri. He proposed allowing Missouri to join the union under two conditions. First, that no more enslaved people could enter the state. Second, that any enslaved people in Missouri would be freed once they turned 25. His proposal is known as the Tallmadge Amendment.
Alas, Tallmadge was no "Great Compromiser." The House of Representatives passed his proposal, but the Senate rejected it. Movement forward stalled, and the situation grew tense. Extremists called for war.
It took the actual Great Compromiser, Henry Clay to save the day. He was another member of the House of Representatives, but he had three things going for him that Tallmadge did not. He was from the South (Kentucky), higher ranking, and much more experienced as a politician. Ultimately, Clay got both sides to work out a deal. We call this deal the Missouri Compromise or the Compromise of 1820.
It has several key parts. First, Missouri becomes a state with no restrictions on slavery. Second, Maine becomes a state. Maine did not have slavery. Lastly, a line was drawn extending west from Missouri's southern border. North of this line, slavery was not allowed. South of the line, it was permitted. This meant that slavery was banned in most of the remaining Louisiana Territory.
This compromise gave both sides some of what they wanted. Clay also hoped that this would limit any further debates about where slavery was allowed, which would prevent further political crises. Boy, was he wrong about that. However, the compromise did not resolve many underlying tensions, end slavery, or bring the country together. It simply kicked all of those cans down the road. They eventually exploded, but not in 1820.
The Big Picture
Period 4 (1800 - 1848 CE)
The controversy over Missouri reflects several major themes in this period of US History. In APUSH, this event is a key moment in Period 4. Period 4 starts in 1800 and ends in 1848.
First, westward expansion caused significant conflict during this period. This includes violent conflicts and physical displacement of external nations, including Mexicans and Native Americans. It also includes significant conflict within the United States. The Missouri Compromise shows that westward expansion also drove conflict within the nation. Debate is clearly not the same thing as violence, but extremists called for war between the North and the South in 1819. That's a dark prelude of things to come.
Third, industrialization reshaped US politics. Until the early 1800s, many reasonable people believed would end without much fanfare. This was not just wishful thinking. The Constitution banned the international slave trade, and Congress banned slavery in the Northwest Territory without much ado. Industrialization and the cotton gin destroyed this notion. These two changes made slavery extremely profitable. Southern plantation owners were increasingly invested in not just maintaining slavery, but expanding their profits by bringing slavery to new places. Northerners were upset by South's attempts to encourage slavery in new places, when it had previously been understood that it would be limited. Similarly, Southern plantation owners felt earlier concessions were too restrictive for the new era. Industrialization helps drive an ideological and economic wedge between North and South.
The Themes
The Missouri Compromise fits into the Politics and Power theme. The Compromise itself is a political one. It deals with legal issues, like allowing or disallowing slavery in Missouri. It also reveals important characteristics of national politics in this time. For example, the growing political division between the North and the South. Notice that the two sides are North and South, not Federalist and Democratic Republican. This reflects sectionalism as a major source of political division.
To a lesser extent, the Missouri Compromise also fits into the Migration and Movement theme. The debate itself was caused by Americans moving further west. When enough Americans occupied the Missouri Territory, they could apply to become a state.
All blog posts are licensed using a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. You are free to copy or share this information in any form. You may also adapt and build upon this material for commercial and noncommercial. If you chose to share, adapt, or use this information, you must give credit to Spring Learning Services, LLC and indicate if changes were made. All material must be shared using the same terms
This material is based on my interpretation of the AP US History Course and Exam Description and my experience working in education for the past decade. The views expressed on this page are my own. AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.