Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery state representatives. The compromise involved the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery north of the parallel 36°30′ north except within the boundaries of the proposed state boundaries of the Missouri territory. In return for Missouri being a freed state, Maine was allowed to become a state separate from Massachusetts. The Events that led up to the compromise are not nearly as important as what the compromise represented; a deep rooted division of doctrine. Part of the issue surrounding Missouri as a slave state had to do with votes in Congress. When Alabama was admitted to the Union, the votes were even, thus there was no chance of slavery being abolished at the Federal level. If Missouri were admitted as a slave state, Congressional power would shift in favor of the slave states. To balance the votes of slave states and Free states, the northern region of Massachusetts was broken free and a proposal was drafted to annex it into the United States as the free state of Maine. When this proposition was brought forward, the southern states blocked it.
While one would think that this meant that there was no difference between a deadlock that forced northern states to accept slavery in the south and the south having more votes thus insuring slavery stayed the status quo, there was the west to think about. The northern states wanted the west to be kept free of slavery. The south saw business potential as slavery in western states where there was an abundance of natural resources could be profitable. The compromise reached was that both Missouri and Maine could be admitted but slavery ended geographically at the 36°30′ parallel. With the exception of Missouri, which was allowed to have slaves.
The flaws of the compromise are pretty evident. Geographical separation enforced by law did not change the attitudes of either party. Secondly, the second