What was the Missouri Compromise of 1820?

In the years leading up to the Missouri Compromise of 1820, tensions began to rise between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions within the U.S. Congress and across the country. read more

The Missouri Compromise is the title generally attached to the legislation passed by the 16th United States Congress on May 8, 1820. The measures provided for the admission of the District of Maine as a state free to ratify a state constitution that neither recognized nor permitted slavery within the state. read more

Missouri Compromise. Learn more about the Missouri Compromise of 1820, a temporary solution to the brewing controversy over slavery in the United States. read more

In an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. read more

The Missouri Compromise is the title generally attached to the legislation passed by the 16th United States Congress on May 9, 1820. The measures provided for the admission of Maine as a free state along with Missouri as a slave state, thus maintaining the balance of power between North and South in the United States Senate. read more

References in the American State Papers to the Missouri Compromise include: Application of Missouri for admission into the union as a state, December 29, 1819. Prohibition of slavery in Missouri, January 12, 1820. Prohibition of slavery in Missouri, January 18, 1820. read more