Dr. Jeffries and Mrs. Vecchione
Missouri Compromise Notes
9/21/2012
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Missouri Compromise is repealed at the beginning of the Civil War.
1819, Congress got a petition for statehood from the Missouri territory.
The Missouri territory was located inside of the Louisiana Purchase.
Thomas Jefferson was the President who bought the Louisiana Purchase
from Napoleon who was the leader of France.
The boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase are as follows: (Map on page 298
in Textbook)
o Eastern boundary: Mississippi River
o Western Boundary from Santa Fe to Canada: Rocky Mountains
o From Santa Fe to the City of New Orleans the Western Boundary is
just below (south of) the Red River.
In order to become a state a territory in the United States had to be
populated by 60,000 free white men.
In the Missouri territory there was a vote that they wanted to become a state
so that means there were at least 60,000 free white men. We also know that
there were approximately 10,000 slaves in the territory.
The 10,000 slaves in Missouri were brought there by their masters. Those
white masters also brought cattle, tools, clothing and food because that is
there property. Slaves were also the property of the masters.
The Missouri territory submits a petition to become a state to the Congress in
January 1818.
Congress decides to ignore that petition until December 1818.
And finally in February of 1819, the House of Representatives Committee
decides to look at the petition.
There are 22 states in the Union in February 1819. In 11 of those states
slavery is legal and in 11 of those states slavery is illegal.
The petition for statehood is now on the desk in Congress and wants to
become a slave state. This would make the balance in favor of slave states.
James Tallmadge of New York is part of the House of Representatives on the
committee and is an abolitionist.
Tallmadge thinks slavery is immoral, illegal, and should be ended
immediately.
Tallmadge adds an amendment to the petition that says 3 things.
o Tallmadge Amendment
1. When Missouri becomes a state you can no longer import
slaves into Missouri.
2. All current slaves in Missouri and their children are free
when Missouri becomes a state.
3. Any people over the age of 25 are free.
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February 17, 1819- The House of Representatives includes the Tallmadge
Amendment to the Missouri territory petition and it votes on Missouri
becoming a state.
The bill is passed. 82 people in the House of Representatives vote for the bill
and 78 Representatives vote against the bill.
The vote is very close because there are an equal amount of free and slave
states.
The bill is then passed onto the Senate who decide not to look at it.
Every state is permitted 2 people in the Senate of the United States. At this
time there are 44 people in the Senate.
The House of Representatives is based on population. The bigger the
population in our state the more Representatives you have. Because the vote
was 82-78, this tells us that there was more population in states without
slavery because they won the vote.