causes, details, and ripple effects of the missouri comprimised leading up to the Civil War.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was a compromise between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress. The conflict arose due to the admission of Missouri into the Union as a slave state, which upset the balance between free and slave states.
Causes:
1. Expansion of slavery: With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the issue of whether or not new states would allow slavery became a point of contention.
2. Political Balance: The addition of Missouri as a slave state would upset the delicate balance of power between free and slave states in Congress.
3. Sectionalism: The nation was becoming increasingly divided between the Northern and Southern states, with different economic, social, and political interests.
Details:
1. In 1818, Missouri sought admission to the Union as a slave state. This was met with opposition from Northern states, as it would disrupt the balance of power in Congress.
2. The Missouri Compromise was proposed by Henry Clay, a political leader known as the "Great Compromiser." It involved three main provisions: Missouri would be admitted as a slave state, Maine would be admitted as a free state, and slavery would be prohibited in the remaining Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30' latitude line.
3. The Compromise aimed to maintain the delicate balance between free and slave states in the Senate and prevent any one region from gaining a significant advantage.
Ripple Effects:
1. Temporary Resolution: The Missouri Compromise temporarily settled the debate over the expansion of slavery, with subsequent territories being admitted to the Union in pairs (one free, one slave) to maintain balance.
2. Deepened Sectional Divide: The Compromise highlighted the deep divisions between the North and South over the issue of slavery, with each side becoming more entrenched in their positions.
3. Popular Sovereignty: The Compromise's provision to ban slavery north of the 36°30' line was later repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed settlers in new territories to decide on the issue of slavery themselves. This further intensified tensions and ignited violence in Kansas, leading to the term "Bleeding Kansas."
4. Dred Scott Decision: The debate over slavery's expansion eventually reached the Supreme Court in the landmark Dred Scott v. Sandford case (1857). The Court ruled that Congress could not prohibit slavery, overturning part of the Missouri Compromise and further deepening the divide between North and South.
5. Collapse of Compromise: Over time, the Missouri Compromise's attempts at maintaining the balance between free and slave states proved ineffective, and it ultimately failed to prevent the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.