Thomas Jefferson's Response To The Missouri Compromise

Thomas Jefferson, in response to the Missouri Compromise, expressed, “ 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… and every new irritation will mark it deeper and deeper” (Meacham 475). Jefferson explained how the Missouri Compromise led to the sectionalism between the North and South, which caused the Civil War. Western expansion and the Louisiana Purchase both led to the formation of the Missouri Compromise as more states started applying for statehood, which disrupted the balance between the slave and free states. Additionally, the division between the North and South increased rapidly because of the Missouri Compromise. It created a line that

This huge debate showed just how slavery divided the nation (Forbes VI). Differences between the views of the North and South led to a deeper divide, which in turn led to the Civil War. Most people knew the consequences of banning slavery, so they kept the Missouri Compromise in place. Overwhelmed with this issue, politicians dealt with the troubling issue carefully because it potentially could separate the Union, and everyone knew the South would not agree to the ban on slavery (Forbes IX). During this time, states entered the Union in pairs-one slave and one free. An equal number of slave and free states allowed the nation to stay together, but no one addressed the problems that eventually would arise due to more territory and an unequal number of slave and free states. Northerners defended the compromise and regarded it as a sacred document (Forbes VIII). Southerners later realized that they made a mistake by signing the compromise because more free states can be created than slave states. Congressmen from the South argued for the repeal of the compromise because they wanted slavery to extend across the country. Luckily, for the South, the Union gained more territory from the Mexican War. Mexico surrendered in 1848 and ceded multiple territories to the United States. Territories that Mexico ceded include California, New Mexico,

Western expansion and the Louisiana Purchase both led to the formation of the Missouri Compromise because more states started applying for statehood, and this distorted the balance between the slave and free states. Division between the North and South increased as a result of the Missouri Compromise. It created a line that separated the Union and set it to the path of Civil War. At first, the North and South saw the compromise as a successful document that maintained the balance between the number of slave and free states; however, when the Union gained more territory through Mexican War, Congress decided to modify the existing compromise. Finally, the repeal of the compromise made the final push that led to the explosion of animosity between the North and South, which led to the Civil War. Slavery in the new territories remained the main issue that caused the necessity of forming the Missouri Compromise. Jefferson accurately stated that the Missouri Compromise stood only as a temporary solution that eventually led to the full-fledged sectional war between