Essay On Missouri Compromise

In the 1800s there was a lot of tension between the northern and southern United States regarding whether or not slavery should be outlawed in certain states or accepted in certain states. In an attempt to relieve these dangerous tensions, the United States government decided to pass political compromises in states that had a split intention to become a free or slave state. The Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850 helped reduce tensions between the North and South, but the Kansas-Nebraska Act increased sectional tensions prior to the civil war. In 1812, Missouri was bought through the Louisiana Purchase and many southerners moved into Missouri with their slaves. When Missouri petitioned the House of Representatives to become a slave …show more content…
This made Kansas a slave state and Nebraska a free state. However, he believed in the popular sovereignty that allowed these states to vote for whether or not they wanted to be a free or slave state. This repealed the Missouri Compromise because it allowed slavery north of the slavery line since both Kansas and Nebraska were above the line. The Kansas-Nebraska act was not successful in reducing tensions between the North and the South because northerners became irate at the act, declaring it “a gross violation of a sacred pledge.” This reignited the spark between the South and the North ultimately setting the footing for the Civil War. Abolitionists had many settlers move to Kansas to gain the majority. Southerners became furious at the abolitionists and decided to send many settlers and slave owners to Kansas to try to regain the majority. Both sides were loaded with weapons, increasing tension. This tension became violent, starting skirmishes between the anti-slavery and pro-slavery supporters. A group of pro-slavery supporters raided the town of Lawrence (free city) where they burned buildings and looted stores, causing this chain of events to be called “Bleeding

Show More

Missouri Compromise Essay