James MonroePresidency |
What treaty at least temporarily averted national problems over the slavery question? |
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 at least temporarily averted a national battle between pro-slave and anti-slave states. The controversy arose in 1819 when the territory of Missouri applied for statehood. Representative James Tallmadge Jr. of New York introduced an amendment that would prohibit slavery in Missouri. The Missouri Compromise allowed slavery in Missouri and land south of Missouri, but prohibited slavery in lands in the northern half of the U.S., roughly the latitude of Missouri.