MIssouri Compromise
Tensions began to rise between the slave states and the free states. In 1819, there were 22 states in the union, 11 slave states and 11 free states. The admission of Missouri as a state into the United States threatened to destroy this balance in favor of slave states. Congressman James Tallmadge proposed that slavery should be outlawed in Missouri, causing further strain in the relationship between slave and free states. Henry Clay, a congressman known for trying to keep the peace between the North and South, developed a compromise. The Missouri Compromise had three main components: Missouri would be a slave state, Maine would be a free state, and slavery would be banned in states north of Missouri's southern border. This was approved by Congress in 1820. On March 15, 1820, Maine became a state and Missouri became a state on August 10, 1821.
Kansas-Nebraska act
Thirty years after the Missouri Compromise was put into law it was replaced by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This act allowed states above Missouri's southern border to be able to make their own decision over whether to allow slavery. The Missouri Compromise formally forced these states to outlaw slavery.
How did the Missouri Compromise Transform the nation?
The Missouri Compromise was extremely important to keeping the United States stable. The admission of new states into the United States began to threaten the balance between slave states and free states. Missouri was one of these controversial states and would have tipped the balance in favor of slave states. In order to maintain the balance Missouri and Maine were admitted into the United States as a slave state and a free state, respectively. The compromise kept the United States balanced and stable.