Research Paper On Thomas Jefferson And The Missouri Compromise

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Chelsea Barsanti Blaine Davis U.S. History 111 February 28, 2017 Thomas Jefferson and the Missouri Compromise Known as the author for the Declaration of Independence, a lawyer in the 18th century and later president, Thomas Jefferson had a huge impact on our country. He was a very politically motivated individual. He never stopped trying to improve our country. In 1819 the Missouri territory applied into the Union as a slave state. After admission, Jame Tallmadge purposed an amendment admitting Missouri as a free state. The Tallmadge Amendment allowed gradual abolishment of slavery. The amendment suggested any further slavery be prohibited and current slaves would be freed at the age of 25. Eventually slavery would fade out. His amendment passed the House but not the Senate. It wasn’t until Maine sought statehood that Henry Clay came up with the idea as admitting Missouri as a slave state and changing Maine to a free state. The reason for the change is so that the balance between slave and free states is still evened out. Along with changing Maine the Senate wanted to split the Louisiana purchase between north and south (36°30′), having North as a free state and South as …show more content…

He saw it as an Expedient, calling it a “fire bell in the night”. As someone observing from the outside and a retirement stance Jefferson wanted to keep the balance between free and slave states. Driven by fear, he was afraid that the compromise was going to ruin the Union he worked so hard to build. With slavery, already being a hushed subject, Jefferson believed that this should be a much more serious debate. He believed he was supposed to be the first in line to gradually fade slavery but he wanted to do it peacefully and his was way. He feared that it would tear apart the nation and free states would outweigh the slave states leading slave states to lose their power to protect their property and