The Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was passed in part to help insure that the slave and non-slave states had a balance of power. It stated that whenever a slave state wanted to enter, and non-slave state had to as well. The two states that were allowed to enter as a result of the Missouri Compromise were the free state of Maine and the slave state of Missouri. The Missouri also drew out the Mason-Dixon line, above which not slave states could be founded, with the exception on Missouri, which was already above it's area of jurisdiction. This made many southerners upset because they felt that it was limiting the spread of slavery. Three years later, the Kansas-Nebraska act repealed the Missouri Compromise, much to the relief of southerners, although it too came with negative repercussion. Part of what led to the passing of the Missouri Compromise was the conflict of the slavery vs. non-slavery factions in the united states and it immediately led to the unhappiness of much of the south because of its harsh restrictions.



http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Missouri.html (information and map)
http://www.history.com/topics/missouri-compromise