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Balance of Power

Definition

The balance of power refers to a situation where different groups or states have equal strength and influence, preventing any one group from dominating the others. In the context of US history, it specifically refers to maintaining an equilibrium between slaveholding states and free states.

Analogy

Imagine a seesaw with two people on opposite ends. The goal is to keep the seesaw balanced, so neither person has more control or power than the other. This represents the idea of balancing power between slave and free states.

Related terms

Missouri Compromise: A legislative agreement passed in 1820 that aimed to maintain a balance of power by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Compromise of 1850: Another legislative agreement that attempted to preserve the balance between slave and free states by allowing California to enter as a free state while implementing stricter fugitive slave laws.

Kansas-Nebraska Act: An act passed in 1854 that allowed residents in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether they would allow slavery (popular sovereignty), effectively challenging the previously established balance of power.