How might America be different if The Missouri Compromise had not occurred?

There would be turmoil in the Senate over who would maintain power between the slaveholding states and free states.

Right.

If the Missouri Compromise had not occurred, it would have had significant effects on the course of American history. To understand how America might be different, let's first look at what the Missouri Compromise was.

The Missouri Compromise was an agreement reached in 1820 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Congress. At that time, the United States was expanding westward, and the question of whether or not slavery should be allowed in new territories became a major source of tension between the North and the South.

Under the Missouri Compromise, Missouri was admitted as a slave state, while Maine entered the Union as a free state, maintaining a balance of power between the number of slaveholding states and free states. Additionally, a line was drawn across the Louisiana Purchase territory, with slavery prohibited in all new states north of the 36°30' parallel (except Missouri itself).

If the Missouri Compromise had not occurred, here are some possible ways that America might be different:

1. Expanded Slavery: Without the Compromise, there would have been no prohibition on slavery north of the 36°30' parallel. This means that the institution of slavery might have been allowed to spread further into new territories, potentially increasing the number of slave states.

2. Reduced Balance of Power: The Missouri Compromise was aimed at maintaining a balance of power between slaveholding and free states in Congress. Without it, there would have been an imbalance in the Senate, where each state is equally represented. This could have resulted in more power and influence for slaveholding states, potentially leading to the implementation of pro-slavery policies at the national level.

3. Heightened Sectional Tensions: The Missouri Compromise helped temporarily alleviate tensions between the North and the South over the expansion of slavery. Without this compromise, these tensions would have remained high, potentially leading to earlier conflicts or even a civil war.

It is important to note that predicting the exact outcomes of historical events is challenging, and alternative scenarios may have numerous variations. However, it is clear that the Missouri Compromise played a significant role in shaping U.S. history and the course of slavery in America.