Missouri Compromise
Definition
An agreement passed by Congress in 1820 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions that regulated slavery in western territories, admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.
Analogy
The Missouri Compromise is like a group project agreement where everyone has different ideas but they find a middle ground to keep the peace. However, just like in some group projects, this compromise didn't last long and tensions eventually escalated.
Related terms
Compromise of 1850: A package of five separate bills passed by Congress that defused political confrontation between slave and free states on the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War.
Kansas-Nebraska Act: An 1854 law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether to allow slavery within their borders, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise.
Sectionalism: Loyalty or support for particular regions or sections of a nation, rather than to the country as a whole; often associated with differing economic interests or customs among regions.
"Missouri Compromise" appears in:
Study guides (3)
Additional resources (1)
Practice Questions (16)
Who is considered the great Compromiser after his role in the Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850?
Why did the Missouri Compromise succeed while the Tallmadge Amendment failed?
What was a significant consequence of the Missouri Compromise?
Who was known as the 'Great Compromiser' for his efforts on the Missouri Compromise?
What parallel can be drawn between the Great Compromise and the Missouri Compromise?
Which regional interest most directly led to the Missouri Compromise in U.S history?
What was a major consequence of the Missouri Compromise?
What did the Missouri Compromise attempt to maintain?
What was a major effect of the Missouri Compromise on African Americans in the Early Republic?
What might be a plausible outcome if Missouri Compromise hadn't reached an agreement during this period?
What principle replaced the Missouri Compromise as a result of the Compromise of 1850?
What is a shared consequence of the Compromise of 1850 and the Missouri Compromise, despite being enacted decades apart?
Who was the author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that repealed the Missouri Compromise?
What could potentially have occurred had the Missouri Compromise not been repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
How did the Missouri Compromise contribute to the Civil War?
Who served as president when Missouri Compromise was passed?
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