The disagreement between North and South that led to the Missouri Compromise was primarily due to the issue of slavery in newly acquired territories. The dispute arose in 1819 when Missouri applied to join the Union as a slave state. This posed a challenge to the delicate balance of power between free and slave states in the Senate.
Key Points of the Disagreement:
1. Admission of Missouri as a State:
- Northern States: Wanted to admit Missouri as a free state, thus maintaining an equal balance of power between free and slave states in the Senate.
- Southern States: Insisted on admitting Missouri as a slave state to protect their political power and economic interests tied to slavery.
2. Extension of Slavery to New Territories:
- Northern States: Opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories acquired from the Louisiana Purchase, arguing it would increase the political influence of the South and undermine the principle of free labor.
- Southern States: Demanded the right to extend slavery into new territories, fearing that restricting slavery would threaten their way of life and economic system based on agriculture and plantation labor.
3. Representation in Congress:
- Northern States: Argued that adding new slave states without balancing them with free states would give disproportionate power to the South in the House of Representatives and Electoral College.
- Southern States: Felt that restrictions on slavery in new territories violated their constitutional rights and denied them equal representation in the federal government.
Resolution - The Missouri Compromise:
To resolve the escalating tensions, Congress enacted the Missouri Compromise in 1820, which included several key provisions:
- Missouri was admitted as a slave state, and Maine was admitted as a free state, maintaining a balance of twelve free and twelve slave states in the Senate.
- Slavery was prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase territory north of the parallel 36°30′ north latitude, except for the area that would become the state of Missouri.
- The issue of slavery in the remaining Louisiana Territory would be decided by each state when it applied for statehood.
While the Missouri Compromise temporarily resolved the immediate crisis, it did not fully address the underlying tensions and divisions between the North and South over the institution of slavery. These unresolved tensions would continue to simmer and contribute to the growing sectional strife that eventually led to the American Civil War.