Journal paper

Issue No.	No. 59
Title	The Missouri Compromise: An Analysis of Congressional Records, 1818-1821
Author	Lu, Ling-pei
Page	141-190
Abstract	In 1818, after the Missouri Territory applied for statehood, several congressmen representing the North argued that Congress could not approve of the application until Missouri abolished slavery, an institution that had existed in Missouri before it became a territory of the United States in 1803. Congressmen representing the South, however, opposed the motion, arguing that slavery was an institution protected by the constitution. The conflict between the North and South on the issue of Missouri became “the most portentous one which ever yet threatened our Union,” as Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1820. The Missouri controversy exposed the complexity of slavery in American society and intensified the struggle between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. After a series of congressional debates and negotiations, a final agreement was finally reached in 1821 allowing Missouri to be admitted to the Union as a slave state. 　　This article examines congressional records from 1818 to 1821 to explore the myths and facts surrounding Missouri’s controversial application for statehood. It examines major arguments used by northern and southern congressmen on the Missouri question, and in the process reveals the underlying forces that shaped the compromises of 1820 and 1821.
Keyword	American Slavery, Louisiana Purchase, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1820, Northwestern Ordinance
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