In the compromise of 1820 what was the status of the unorganized territory?
The unorganized territory was closed to slavery.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/neh/interactives/sectionalism/lesson1/
http://www.history.com/topics/missouri-compromise
The compromise of 1820, commonly known as the Missouri Compromise, addressed the issue of slavery in the United States. To understand the status of the unorganized territory during this compromise, we need to break it down into three key components: the Missouri Territory, the unorganized territory, and the conditions set by the compromise.
1. Missouri Territory: In 1820, the Missouri Territory was a part of the Louisiana Purchase, which was acquired from France in 1803. This territory included the present-day states of Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. The Missouri Territory sought admission to the Union as a slave state.
2. Unorganized Territory: The unorganized territory comprised the remaining land from the Louisiana Purchase that had not yet become organized into states. It extended westward from Missouri and covered a vast area, including present-day states like Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico. The unorganized territory did not have a formal government or specific laws in place.
3. Conditions of the Compromise: The primary issue addressed by the compromise was the balance between free and slave states to maintain the delicate equilibrium in Congress. The compromise allowed for Missouri's admission as a slave state but also established the 36°30' parallel as a dividing line. This line determined future statehood conditions for slavery within the remaining unorganized territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Any state carved out of the territory north of the line would be free, while those south of the line would be allowed to have slavery.
Therefore, during the compromise of 1820, the unorganized territory was not subject to any immediate or specific laws regarding slavery. It was left ambiguously open to future input from the territory's prospective states and subsequent acts of Congress, depending on which side of the 36°30' parallel they fell under.