Missouri Compromise
In 1820, America was divided into four types of "states": slave states, free states, slave territory, and free territory. At this time Missouri was seeking admission into the Union. It was feared that with Missouri becoming a slave state it would tip the balance in the Senate. In order to prevent this they admitted Missouri as a slave state and added Maine, formerly apart of Massachusetts, as a free state. Along with this compromise they also agreed upon making all the new states below 36'30 parallel slave states. The debate after Missouri had been admitted into the Union was extremely bitter after Congressman James Tallmadge proposed that slavery be prohibited in the new state. The debate became problematic when pro-slavery relied on the central principle of fairness.
"How could the Congress deny a new state the right to decide for itself whether or not to allow slavery? If Congress controlled the decision, then the new states would have fewer rights than the original ones." (http://www.ushistory.org/us/23c.asp)
One of the Congressman at this time, Henry Clay, was a very crucial person in the brokering of the two-part solution that is the Missouri Compromise. He helped with the idea of admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a new free stats. On both sides of the compromise thought this was deeply flawed even though it only lasted thirty years until the establishment of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed the new states in the North, above the boundary, are allowed, if they chosen, to express their dominance in favor of Slavery.
http://www.civilwarmo.org/educators/resources/info-sheets/missouri-compromise
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/the-missouri-compromise.html
"How could the Congress deny a new state the right to decide for itself whether or not to allow slavery? If Congress controlled the decision, then the new states would have fewer rights than the original ones." (http://www.ushistory.org/us/23c.asp)
One of the Congressman at this time, Henry Clay, was a very crucial person in the brokering of the two-part solution that is the Missouri Compromise. He helped with the idea of admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a new free stats. On both sides of the compromise thought this was deeply flawed even though it only lasted thirty years until the establishment of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed the new states in the North, above the boundary, are allowed, if they chosen, to express their dominance in favor of Slavery.
http://www.civilwarmo.org/educators/resources/info-sheets/missouri-compromise
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/the-missouri-compromise.html