The Missouri Compromise was a significant U.S. federal legislation passed in 1820 to maintain a balance of power between free and slave states. It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state simultaneously to preserve an equal number of slave and free states in the Union. Additionally, it prohibited slavery in the remaining Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30′ latitude line, except for Missouri. This compromise was intended to ease sectional tensions over slavery expansion but was controversial and seen as a temporary solution that ultimately contributed to increasing conflict leading to the Civil War. The compromise lasted until it was repealed by the Kansas- Nebraska Act in 1854 and declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision in 1857.
Key Points of the Missouri Compromise
- Passed by Congress on March 3, 1820, and signed into law by President James Monroe.
- Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state simultaneously.
- Banned slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30′ parallel, except Missouri.
- Aimed to maintain political balance between North (free states) and South (slave states) in the Senate.
- Temporarily eased sectional tensions but was a precursor to deeper national conflict over slavery.
Consequences and Repeal
- The compromise delayed the outbreak of the Civil War but heightened sectional divisions.
- Repealed in 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed territories to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty.
- Declared unconstitutional in 1857 by the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which ruled Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the territories.
Historical Significance
- Seen as a critical but ultimately fragile attempt to preserve the Union.
- Marked the beginning of increasingly intense national disputes over the extension of slavery.
- Warnings from leaders like Thomas Jefferson suggested it would eventually lead to the Union's break-up.
This compromise is widely studied as a pivotal moment in the escalating conflict over slavery that culminated in the American Civil War.