Missouri Compromise Research Paper

Words: 834
Pages: 4

How different could America have been today if the tensions between the South and the North were resolved by a compromise? Would that even be a possibility? The American Civil War was one of, if not the most defining moments in U.S. history, the war stemmed from deep tensions that had been brewing for decades. Despite many efforts made to ease tensions through acts such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 the upcoming war was inevitable. Since the beginning, the North and the South had split ideology upon the idea of slavery; this idea would essentially split them in half, and no matter what was done if those ideologies were not changed, war would be inevitable. As Abraham Lincoln …show more content…
As the nation continued to grow and expand westward, conflicts would begin to arise because of disagreements on what type of state a new territory should be. The Missouri Compromise merely delayed the inevitable as even with a solution to the current problem of an unequal representation between the Free and Slave states they could not find a true solution. The only way change could happen was if the ideologies of either side were changed in accordance with the opposing side to finally bring peace and harmony. However, this feat was nearly impossible to accomplish and the North and South would never agree to these but rather agree on compromises and acts that would only delay the …show more content…
By allowing popular sovereignty in new territories, the act essentially repealed the earlier passed Missouri Compromise and reignited the debate of slavery. The violence that also occurred after this act also goes to foreshadow how fighting was necessary for change to occur within the country. This act, just like the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, only proved that no matter what compromise was reached for the tensions between the North and the South to be eased, they would only be temporary solutions. For the true abolition or spread of slavery to occur, either side needed to completely change ideologies and for this to occur war was