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Missouri Compromise

Suggested Instructional Activity:


Sentence Strips Summaries

During the reading, look/listen for:


How did John C. Calhoun, John Quincy Adams, and Henry Clay differ in
their beliefs?
How was the nation changing during this time?

After the reading, assign different stems for each


group to complete:
The Missouri Compromise impacted political power in the United States
by _________________________. Our evidence for this is ___________.
The Missouri Compromise impacted boundaries in the United States by
_________________________. Our evidence for this is ___________.
The Missouri Compromise impacted the growth of slavery in the United
States by _____________________. Our evidence for this is ___________.
The Missouri Compromise impacted tension between the North and
South by _________________________. Our evidence for this is ___________.

The Missouri Compromise

The War of 1812 had brought the nation together, and people were just beginning to think of
themselves as Americans. For a time, there was only one political party. America had grown from
thirteen states in 1790 to twenty-two states in 1820; from a population of under 4 million to 9.6
million. The country was also spreading out toward the west, beyond the mighty Mississippi
River. In 1817, the Missouri Territory applied for statehood in 1817 with a population of over
60,000. People in Missouri wanted slavery, but that would make 12 slave states and only 11 free
states represented in Congress. The question arose: should slavery be allowed to spread to the
west?
No action was taken for two years. Then, in 1819, Maine wanted to split off from Massachusetts
and apply for statehood. This would keep a balance of 12 slave and 12 free states if Maine and
Missouri both entered as new states. Then, something simple became complicated. Northern
representatives in Congress proposed that no more slaves be taken to Missouri, and those born
of slave parents in the state would be freed at the age of twenty-five. Southern representatives
in Congress were alarmed by these proposals. Did Congress have the right to prevent slavery
from spreading further as the country continued to grow?
Many in the southern states had seen the faults of slavery, but had labeled it a necessary evil.
Without slaves, they could not produce cotton, tobacco, or rice as cheaply as they could with
slave labor. People in the southern states had never thought of themselves as a unit before,
pulling together against outsiders. For the first time, the South rallied around slavery, and
instead of admitting it was wrong, they defended it as a positive good. One of the Souths most
ardent defenders of slavery was South Carolina Congressman John C. Calhoun, who, like many at
the time, believed Africans were inferior to whites.
Many leaders, like John Quincy Adams, were strongly opposed to slavery and did not want to see
it spread any further west. A compromise was offered by a group of congressmen, led by Henry
Clay. According to their plan, Missouri would enter as a slave state, Maine would enter as a free
state, and the territories in the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36-30 line would be free. It
barely passed. By 1821, southerners began to see northerners as oppressors wanting to take
away their rights. The Missouri Compromise allowed North, South, and West to continue their
union, but the nation was moving toward deep divisions that would eventually lead to a Civil War.

Post-reading Group Question:


How did the Missouri Compromise impact political power, boundaries, slavery, and northsouth tension in the United States?

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