Missouri Compromise

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The Missouri Compromise Line of 1820

The Missouri Compromise was a slavery regime enacted in the United States in 1820 during the James Monroe presidency . The deal was made between the advocates and the opponents of slavery in the United States. It mainly regulated slavery and the acceptance of new states in the western territory of the USA. As a result of the compromise, the Missouri Territory , which reached relatively far to the north, was accepted into the Union as a slave state, Missouri , while every new state north of the Compromise Line (36 ° 30 'latitude) was to become slave-free. At the same time, the compromise was supposed to ensure a political balance between the northern and southern states : slave-free Maine was separated from Massachusetts and on March 15, 1820, was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state, in order to maintain a tie in the Senate at the same time as Missouri was admitted .

The Missouri Compromise was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of May 30, 1854. With the Supreme Court decision in the Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857 the Missouri Compromise was declared unconstitutional .

Political and economic situation before the Missouri Compromise

Northwest Ordinance

The Northwest Ordinance (English: An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States northwest of the River Ohio ) was a legal regulation of the Northwest Territory (historical territory west of Pennsylvania and north of the Ohio River ), which was initially a treaty between the existing states and the inhabitants of the said territory. The document regulated the emergence of new, free and independent states and their admission to the Union. The new states should not be subservient to the old states. The arrangement guaranteed equality between the old and the newly emerging states. The regulation was passed on July 13, 1787 by the Second Continental Congress. On August 7, 1789, it was signed by President George Washington and ratified by Congress . The document adopted many points from Thomas Jefferson's proposed 1784 (and rejected by Congress) plan for the admission of new states from the Northwest Territory ("Report of a Plan of Government for the Western Territory"). The Northwest Ordinance contained five important regulations:

  • Created by a Provisional Government for the Western Territory
  • Over time, 3 to 5 states with at least 60,000 inhabitants should emerge from the territory
  • it provided the method for organizing the government of the new states
  • the new states were guaranteed the Bill of Rights ( freedom of religion , the right of a defendant to a jury trial, free access to the important rivers of the region and other civil rights )
  • In the final paragraph of the document, slavery was prohibited in the Northwest Territory:

"Art. 6. There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted: Provided, always, That any person escaping into the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed in any one of the original States, such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or service as aforesaid. "

The order became the most important document in the administration of the Northwest Territory. The guidelines served as the basis for the admission of all future states to the Union. The order made the Ohio a natural boundary between the free and slave states.

Western expansion and sectionalism in the USA

With the acquisition of the 865,000 square mile Louisiana Territory from France for $ 12 million (that is, for $ 0.08 per acre ), the territory of the United States had more than doubled in 1803. The expansionists in the west had access to a huge, fertile land with many resources and economic opportunities. After the British-American War (1812–1815), the United States turned its attention to western territory. New states emerged in the west and were incorporated into the Union ( Indiana 1816, Mississippi 1817, Illinois 1818, Alabama 1819). The population of the newly created states grew rapidly. With the western expansion, the development of regions with different political, economic and social interests (sectionalism) increased in the USA. The contrasts between the southern and northern states (actually northwest), which had been clear at least since the American Revolution, intensified. The fundamental conflict of interest was the issue of slavery. Between 1776 and 1804 slavery was gradually banned in the northern states by state legislation. In 1804, slavery was outlawed in every state north of the Ohio River and the Mason-Dixon Line . The production of agricultural commodities - and thus the driving economic power of the southern states - was based on slavery, however.

When the Tallmadge Amendment (1819) sparked the great discussion about the spread of slavery to the new territories, two schools of defense for slavery emerged in the southern states. While the Virginians admitted that slavery was the country's great evil, they did nothing about it, claiming that slavery was a southern concern in which the other states and the government did not have to interfere. At the same time there was a new and daring voice from the south defending slavery. These advocates of slavery claimed that slavery was a blessing to both the slave and the slave owner. They tried to base the credibility of these statements on the New Testament , which advocated the institution of slavery.

The question of slavery gave rise to political and economic conflicts of interest, which later led to the withdrawal of the southern states from the Union and the war of civil secession in the USA. The southern states, which stretched from South Carolina and Georgia via Alabama and Mississippi to Louisiana, sold a large part of their agricultural goods to European countries. In return, they bought the products they needed from Europe and the north. So in the interests of the southern states were low tariffs on imported goods, high prices for the land and less power of the government. They were also against infrastructure improvements that would take up the national budget, such as B. Road, port and canal construction.

While the differences between the south and the north grew stronger, the southern states grew uneasy about losing influence in the Union. The population of the northern states grew faster than that of the south. Much more Northerners emigrated to the west and settled the new states. Additionally, in 1819 the United States House of Representatives consisted of 105 representatives from the Free Northern States and only 81 from the slave states. In order to control the Senate and block legislation that was unfavorable for the south, the southerners had to force the admission of further slave states. In 1819, after Alabama became a member, there were eleven slave states and eleven free states in the union, so there was a territorial and political balance in Congress. With the expansion of the Union into the West, the issue of slavery became more and more important and important. By 1817, Missouri , whose territory was east of the Territory of Louisiana, was large enough to apply for membership of the Union. Since most of the residents of the area came from the southern states of the USA and about a third of the population were slaves, Missouri was to be admitted as a slave state into the union. In January 1819, Missouri applied for admission as a slave state into the Union, which would have destroyed the existing balance. This sparked a discussion between the slave owners and the abolitionists about the admission of further states from the Louisiana Territory.

Henry Clay worked out the Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise

Tallmadge Amendment

When the 15th Congress was preparing the admission of Missouri as the 23rd state in 1819 , James Tallmadge of New York presented his two-part amendment to the Admission Document (English: Tallmadge Amendment ) to the House of Representatives on February 13 . James Tallmadge (1778-1853), son of an American Revolution fighter, was a lawyer and member of the House of Representatives. Tallmadge's bill consisted of two points:

  • Slavery was to be banned in the state of Missouri, and slaves were no longer allowed to be introduced into the state
  • All slaves born in Missouri after 1819 should be given their liberty once they turned 25:

“And provided, that the further introduction of slavery or involuntary servitude be prohibited, except for the punishment of crimes, where of the party shall have been fully convicted; and that all children born within the said State, after the admission thereof into the Union, shall be free at the age of twenty-five years. "

The amendment was initially approved by the House of Representatives with a majority of votes (87 votes for, 76 against), but ten days later the Senate rejected it (22 to 16 votes). The Missouri discussion grew to a national issue. Slavery and the morals behind it were increasingly questioned. Northern politicians began to publicly label slavery a national disgrace, and the movement to abolish slavery (abolitionism) continued to gain support. The document caused a lot of excitement in the southern states as they viewed the Tallmadge amendment as a threat to slavery and thus to the whole south. The expansion to the west was a gateway to influence in the country for the southern slave states. In addition, the South demanded that not the government, but the states themselves should decide on slavery within their own borders. The mood in the northern states was also irritable. The free states believed that slavery violated the United States ' Declaration of Independence and tarnished the idea of ​​American freedom.

Origin and Motivation for the Tallmadge Amendment

James Tallmadge planned a federal program to build roads, ports and canals that would be funded by federal funds. The program was intended to facilitate the transport of raw materials and goods produced in the north for the northern states. Tallmadge's plans met strong opposition from the southern states, who feared that spending on the construction project would lead to an increase in import taxes. In addition, the southern cotton and tobacco growers feared that the high import tax would lower the prices of their agricultural produce and ruin the growers. A majority of members from the north in the House of Representatives would allow the industrialized north to run internal improvement programs like Tallmadge's. The origins and motivation behind the Tallmadge Amendment remain controversial to this day. In the years prior to 1819, Congress had done little anti-slavery:

"In the years preceding 1819, Congress had not been the scene of vigorous, sustained antislavery activity, though in 1818 Congress had beaten back a proposed constitutional amendment banning slavery in all new states as well as attempts to impose restrictions on the interstate slave trade. "

It can be assumed that Tallmadge proposed the document for political and moral reasons. Like many other Northerners Tallmadge was against the three-fifths compromise (English: Three-Fifths Compromise ), which was introduced in 1787 and said that three-fifths of the slaves in the census should be counted. This regulation gave the South more power in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College . For the northern states this meant a greater influence of the southern states on the decisions of the government. The spread of slavery to the west would mean that the "three-fifths clause" would also spread in the country and give the southern states even more power. In addition, many Northerners spoke out against slavery on moral grounds. Admission of Missouri as a slave state into the Union would also mean that slavery is moving out of its original, traditional boundaries and that regions that have so far remained unspoiled by slavery will continue the cruel tradition of the south.

The Missouri Compromise

The 16th Congress convened again in December 1819 and resumed the subject. The disagreement over Tallmadge's proposal blocked further action. The House of Representatives wanted to accept the amendment, the Senate still rejected it. The MPs looked for a solution to get Congress out of this stalemate. A successful proposal was finally submitted on February 16, 1820 by Senator Jesse B. Thomas of Illinois (1777-1853), which should be a compromise for both parties. He proposed combining the inclusion of Missouri with the inclusion of Maine , which emerged from the northern part of Massachusetts, as a free state. At the same time, in order to calm the mood of the northern states, a slavery border was to be laid in the Louisiana Territory. The law was passed by the Senate with 24 votes to 20. In the House of Representatives, Henry Clay cleverly led Missouri to be accepted as a slave state without the restrictions of the Tallmadge Amendment. The distribution of votes in the House of Representatives was 90 for the compromise law and 87 against. While the Tallmadge Amendment did not make Missouri a free state, it did have a powerful impact on the formation of the Compromise Line .

The law was ratified on March 5 and signed by President James Monroe on March 6, 1820 . It ultimately contained three points:

  • Admission of Missouri as a slave state (took place in 1821)
  • Maine becomes a free state (1820)
  • every new state north of the Compromise Line (southern border of Missouri, the 36 ° 30 'parallel) should be admitted to the Union as a slave-free state

As a direct result, Maine split from Massachusetts on March 15, 1820 and became the 23rd independent state to join the union. The final admission of Missouri to the Union was discussed in the next session of Congress. The discussions led to the second Missouri Compromise.

The second Missouri compromise

The question of the definitive inclusion of Missouri was discussed at the next session of Congress (1820/1821). The Missouri Constitution was drafted during the Missouri Constitutional Convention of 1820. The document excluded free African Americans and mulattos , which northern lawmakers saw as a provocation at the session in 1820-21. Henry Clay , who chaired the meeting, was forced to work out a new compromise. On March 2, 1821, Congress decided that Missouri could only be admitted if the disclaimer was never used against the freedoms and rights of all free US citizens guaranteed by the US Constitution. Missouri agreed to the condition, becoming the 24th state of the Union on August 10, 1821.

Responses to the Missouri Compromise

The contradictions in the question of slavery have been a very controversial topic between the southern and northern states at least since the revolution. The crisis sparked by the Missouri Compromise has exacerbated the antagonism . Never in history has the antagonism been so obvious and threatening. Many feared that the artificially created compromise line would lead to the split in the country. As early as 1820, Thomas Jefferson expressed his concerns about the separation in a letter to the American politician and supporter of the Missouri Compromise, John Holmes:

"[...] but this momentous question, like a fire bell in the night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the knell of the Union. it is hushed indeed for the moment. but this is a reprieve only, not a final sentence. a geographical line, coinciding with a marked principle, moral and political, once concieved and held up to the angry passions of men, will never be obliterated; and every new irritation will mark it deeper and deeper. "

Thomas Jefferson was not the only one who feared that the Compromise Line would lead to the downfall of the Union. Even the spokesman for the House of Representatives, Henry Clay , confirmed that there was talk of a “peaceful” separation of states in political circles. Because Henry Clay was instrumental in the Missouri Compromise, he has been dubbed "The Great Pacificator".

Abrogation of the Missouri Compromise

Repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

In the 1850s, many settlers and entrepreneurs wanted to expand into the territories west of Missouri. In order for them to buy the land and build settlements, the territories had to be incorporated into the union as states. In 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois (1813–1861) presented a bill that divided the territory west of Missouri into two new states, Kansas and Nebraska . At the same time, the inhabitants of the newly created states should be able to decide for themselves, according to the idea of popular sovereignty , whether to join the Union as a free or a slave state. This procedure was used as early as 1850 for the states of New Mexico and Utah (both under the Compromise Line). The proposal met with very strong opposition from the abolitionists. The proposed popular sovereignty over slavery would violate the Missouri Compromise, according to which Kansas and Nebraska were to become free states. After months of disputes and controversy, the Kansas-Nebraska Act (actually: "An Act to Organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas") was passed on May 30, 1854. The northern states were appalled by the decision to pass the law. The Missouri Compromise, which had held the Union together for the past 34 years, was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Serious and bloody unrest broke out in Kansas between the slave owners and the opponents of slavery. Opponents of the Kansas-Nebraska Act helped found the Republican Party to prevent the spread of slavery in the north. The Act brought the Union one step closer to civil war .

Unconstitutionality of the Missouri Compromise (Dred Scott v. Sandford judgment, 1857)

The facts in the trial in the United States Supreme Court between slave Dred Scott and John FA Sanford were a petition for release from slavery by a black citizen. Since Dred Scott had lived with his owner for years in the free state of Illinois and on the also free Wisconsin Territory , he wanted to free himself from the slavery that was imposed on him again after the death of his owner. The Supreme Federal Court of Justice dealt with three questions in the case:

  • Is the Missouri Compromise Unconstitutional?
  • Are African Americans Legally Citizens of the United States?
  • Can Congress Ban Slavery?

The Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott on March 6, 1857. It has been decided that African Americans are not legally US citizens, so they cannot enjoy the same rights as B. the right to sue in court. In addition, it was decided that Congress has no power to ban slavery on the territory of the country. Slaves were owned by the slave owners, and the state cannot deprive the citizen of his property without a valid judicial process (according to the 5th amendment). This declared the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decision was a victory for the southern slave owners. The verdict should also lead to the clarification of the pro and anti-slavery fronts. The effects of the decision were quite different: Abolitionism spread and intensified in the north, the young Republican Party grew stronger and stronger. At the same time, hostile southern and northern fronts were forming in the Democratic Party. The southern states expected a great increase in power. A secessionist mood spread across the country.

Abolition of slavery with the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution (1865)

On January 31, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (English: The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America ) finally abolished slavery across the country:

"Neither slavery nor compulsory servitude shall exist in the United States or in any territory under its jurisdiction except as punishment for a crime of which the person concerned has been found guilty in due process."

The amendment was ratified by Congress and became effective December 18, 1865.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The separation was a political one; Geographically, the area of ​​Maine no longer bordered Massachusetts, but was an exclave separated by New Hampshire .
  2. ^ The Early Republic, 1784-1789. The Library of Congress. American memory. Washington. February 9, 2014.
  3. ↑ Udo, Sautter, Udo: Northwest Ordinance. Lexicon of American History, 1997. p. 276
  4. ^ Francis Newton Thorpe: The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the States, Territories, and Colonies Now or Heretofore Forming the United States of America. Vol. 2. Washington: United States Government Printing Office , 1909. p. 957
  5. ^ Dexter Perkins, Glyndon G. Van Deusen: The United States of America: A History. To 1876. Vol. 1. New York 1968, p. 251
  6. ^ William James Cooper: Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2000. p. 137
  7. ↑ a b Ladenburg, Thomas. The Tallmasge Amendment. Digital History, 2007, p. 15. Web: February 8, 2014.
  8. ^ Dexter Perkins, Glyndon G. Van Deusen: The United States of America: A History. To 1876. Volume 1. New York 1968, p. 322
  9. ^ A b c Junius P Rodriguez: The Louisiana Purchase: A Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2002. p. 328
  10. ↑ A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: US Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1998. p. 1170. Web: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llac&fileName=033/llac033.db&recNum=582 . Feb. 2, 2014.
  11. ^ A b c William James Cooper: Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2000. p. 135
  12. ^ Tallmadge, the Tariff and Slavery. The Real Cause of the US Civil War. Web: http://civilwarcause.com/tallmadge/tallmadge.html . Feb. 2, 2014
  13. ^ William James Cooper: Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2000. p. 136
  14. ↑ Thomas Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson's Letter to John Holmes on the Missouri Statehood Question. April 22, 1820. Web: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/159.html . 8 Feb 2014
  15. ^ William James Cooper: Liberty and Slavery: Southern Politics to 1860. Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2000. p. 141
  16. ↑ a b Kansas-Nebraska Act. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2014. Web: http://www.bridica.com/EBchecked/topic/311346/Kansas-Nebraska-Act . Feb. 2, 2014.
  17. ^ Dred Scott Decision. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2014. Web: http : //www . britica.com/EBchecked/topic/171273/Dred-Scott-decision . Feb. 2, 2014.
  18. ^ Constitution of the United States of America. 1787. Feb. 2, 2014.

literature

  • Matthew W. Hall: Dividing the Union: Jesse Burgess Thomas and the Making of the Missouri Compromise. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale 2015, ISBN 978-0-8093-3456-8 .
  • Robert Pierce Forbes: The Missouri Compromise and Its Aftermath: Slavery and the Meaning of America. New edition. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 2009, ISBN 978-0-8078-6183-7 .