Cause and effect of the Missouri Compromise

This paper explores the cause and effect of the Missouri Compromise of 1820. At this time, the United States was a young nation, divided by sectional interests, particularly between slave-holding states in the south and free states in the north. In 1819, Missouri applied for admission to the Union as a slave state, causing an uproar among northerners who were against slavery's expansion into new territories. To resolve this conflict, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise which allowed Missouri to join as a slave state but prohibited slavery in all other territories located north of 36 degrees 30 minutes latitude.

The effect of the Compromise was both immediate and lasting. On one hand, it successfully defused tensions between northern and southern states by balancing the number of free and slave state representatives in Congress. On the other hand, it further entrenched the idea that slavery was a “regional” institution which led to an eventual conflict between North and South in the Civil War. Furthermore, by creating the Missouri Compromise Line along the 36 degrees 30 minutes latitude, Congress set a precedent for future sectional disputes over slavery's expansion into western territories.

Overall, the Missouri Compromise was an effective short-term solution to maintain peace between northern and southern states while temporarily postponing a more lasting solution to slavery's expansion. This event highlighted both existing regional differences between North and South regarding slavery as well as Congress' role in attempting to reconcile these disputes. In essence, this compromise delayed a much larger conflict that would arise in the future. It is clear then, that the Missouri Compromise had both immediate and long-term effects on American history.