Show THE MISSOURI COI COMPROMISE AFTER the great compromise on slavery slavery slav slav- j. j ery in the Constitutional Convention Convention- i ithe f the Missouri Compromise was perhaps the most important of all legislation I upon that subject made by our government government govern govern- t ment up to the time of the Civil War Without the first the Union could not have been formed and without the i s second it may be doubted if the Union could have been preserved The Missouri Missouri Missouri Mis Mis- Compromise delayed the great struggle of the Civil War for forty years That a full understanding may be gained of the importance of this act it will be f necessary to consider briefly some of the early fe features tures of slavery passing over s the first stages however with but a amere amere mere mention Slavery has been connected connected connected con- con with America ever since the time of Columbus When the discoverer made his second voyage to this continent continent continent conti conti- nent he sent to Spain by a return vessel vessel vessel ves ves- sel a considerable number of natives j described as from the Cannibal Cannibal Cannibal Canni Canni- bal Islands for slaves 1 justifying his his i act by stating in effect that the evils of jr slavery to the natives were far outweighed by the good which would result to their souls In 1500 Governor Ovando by i permission first brought negro slaves to y th the new country from Seville Natives were also captured and enslaved by the t ti emigrating Spaniards by whom they x were most cruelly treated t Slavery was introduced very early into p what is now the United States The same year th that t saw the organization of t the House of Burgesses in Virginia and nd A the consequent extension of liberty to t the colonizers was marked by the introduction introduction introduction intro intro- of an evil far outweighing the y first good On July 30 the House of Burgesses was organized by delegates assembled at Jamestown and andin andin and 7 in August of the same year twenty slaves Winsor II t Winsor II 1 d r. r j t Ridpath's RIdpath s Mist Hist of U. U S S. S 72 12 i 0 0 r man man- were landed and sold by a Dutch mant man man- t of of war From that time until the emancipation proclamation of President Lincoln slavery with its attending evils grew steadily nY V In colonial days slaves were held in all parts of English America Not even a astern astern 1 stern and harsh morality kept the Puritans Purit Puri Puri- t tans from this as John Wesley styles it the the sum of all villainies f t f But slavery was soon soon found to be unprofitable in the because of this perhaps more than anything else by 1790 a strong feeling feeling feeling feel feel- ing against it is found growing up there i j But the holding of slaves slave in those Ii early days was in no way influenced by t politics The slavery question as a apolitical apolitical political factor appears with the close cloe of r the Revolution and the formation of the Constitution It is true that at the rF earnest appeal of Jefferson Madison i and others the legislature of Virginia i had prohibited the further importation of slaves in 1769 but this was of local importance only 1 It was iri in the Constitutional Con Con- Convention that the question y was first brought prominently into the J political field of the United States andin and andin in the votes cast on t the e subject at this time can be plainly seen the division of r. r North and South r At this this' time it was decided to allow the South representation for negro slaves five slaves to be equal to three white men and this this' provision held until the s' s close of the Civil War But it was felt that something ought to be done toI to I check the growth of the evil and the Constitution was framed so as to forbid the importation of slaves after 1808 1 Yo- Yo It Jefferson had paved the way for such a f regulation as this in his plan lor bor lor the government of the North West Territory known as the the Ordinance of 1784 which j Ridpath's Hist of U. U S S. S 73 and Thwaite's The Colonies 74 1 t j- Greeleys Greeley's American Conflict I. I 32 s. s J t Critical Period 72 f Critical Period J fI f 11 If I j f AI I prohibited the extension of slavery in inthe inthe inthe the territory in question after 1800 The condition of slavery at this time can be estimated by reference to the subjoined table taken from the census of 1790 As will be seen only one State Massachusetts out of the thirteen held no slaves at all Vermont stood next with 17 while Virginia headed the list with The total number of slaves at that date was about one-fifth one of the entire population t From this time on the abolition of slavery was earnestly hoped for by nearly all of the Middle and New England States while the people of the South expressed deep regret over over- its evils sadly at variance indeed with the spirit they afterwards manifested The Ordinance II of 1787 for the government government government govern govern- ment of the North West Territory expressly expressly expressly ex ex- pressly forbade the introduction of slavery into the region in question In 1798 George Thacher of Maine made an unsuccessful effort to have slavery prohibited in all western do do- mains Thus the was opposition to I slavery continued The Louisiana purchase brought with it these problems for solution 1 Should the importation of foreign slaves into the new territory be prohibited and 2 Should settlers be allowed to i take with them their slaves into this new country The first question was Greeleys Greeley's American Conflict I I. I 39 Critical Period ix ix t f Critical Period Greeleys Greeley's American Conflict I I. I 36 New Hampshire Delaware Vermont 17 Maryland Massachusetts None Virginia Rhode Island North Carolina Connecticut 2759 South Carolina New York Georgia New Jersey Tersey Kentucky Pennsylvania Tennessee Grand total t Schouler II 11 1162 62 62 63 1 I I f r decided in the negative the members from the South firmly opposing foreign importation To the second question an affirmative answer was given It would seem that this was of all times timas the one at which the further spread of slavery in the new territory might have been most easily controlled since J Jefferson Jeffer Jeffer- efferson effer- effer son was committed to the cause of anti- anti slavery But the moral side of the question question question ques ques- tion had not yet appealed in all its awfulness to the great masses of the people and Congress remained inactive During these years the territory of Indiana Indians was constantly asking that the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787 beset beset be beset set aside in her own case and that shebe shebe she shebe be allowed to enter the Union as a slave state state f The slave anti-slave party began now to look to 1808 as the day of deliverance By 1804 all of the States had passed laws prohibiting the importation of slaves j and an act passed by Congress March 2 1807 made the foreign slave traffic punishable by fine and imprisonment imprison imprison- ment In 1808 Jefferson and Madison worked upon a a plan for negro colonization colonization colonization but nothing came of it II 11 After the abolition of the African slave trade in 1808 there was II no no serious agitation of the dreaded topic until 1819 when the question came up with great energy and bitterness During the interval the question h had d been kept alive and in 1816 an organization known as the American Colonization Society was formed at Washington with a scheme for the gradual deportation of negroes from America The President of this association was Justice Bushrod Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington a residuary legatee of a transcendent transcendent transcendent trans trans- name Other prominent mem- mem Schouler II 64 t Schouler II 65 I I t I Schouler II 64 Schouler II I Schouler II 66 T Schouler III t I l' l t Ii 7 I It fi 1 bers of the l society were Clay Crawford and Randolph the latter afterwards one of the most vigorous in sustaining the interests of the Southern slave holders II From such a society under such such- leaders leaders lead lead- f ers the South could have no aggression to fear In 1 1819 it Congress Congress Congress Con Con- 1 gress and succeeded in having passed a abill abill bill March 3 1819 offering a bounty of fifty dollars to informers for every illegally illegally illegally ally imported African II seized within the United States or taken at sea to Under this Act the President sent to the coast of Af Africa ica a ship having on board two salaried agents and food for such negroes a aas as might be landed there and through this sanction and assistance the negro of Liberia was founded t Further Further Further Fur Fur- ther legislation was secured in 1820 May 15 when an act was passed II which declared the slave slave- trade slave trade piracy and besides forfeiting th the vessel denounced the death p penalty nalty against all citizens who might engage in it t I This latter i act was not passed however until after the Missouri Compromise But while foreign sla slave e trade was being thus restricted state inter-state sla slave e traffic seemed redoubled The northern tier of slave anti-slave States had been completed completed completed com com- by the action of New York and New Jersey in providing for the gradual emancipation of all slaves within their limits In 1818 complaint came from 1 New Jersey now soon to emancipate emancipate emancipate pate all of her slaves to the effect that they were being exported from that State into the South and there sold re-sold into slavery and the government was asked for assistance in the prevention of i this scheme U Under the act of March 3 1819 the President used United States cruisers for pa patrolling rolling the African and American coasts for the capture of S slavers I avers Y r I Schouler III 7 1 i If t fi Schouler III I t Schouler III c cJ J 1 I Schouler III Hildreth VI S kl I. I t Y 9 p fL i x fF 4 li ri a td r. r l 9 r dd r r i In 1819 Alabama with its rapidly in increasing increasing increasing in- in creasing population was authorized by w Congress to form a constitution without restriction A similar bill was introduced introduced introduced intro intro- regarding Missouri February 13 1819 and it was this which led to the great agitation which ended with the Missouri Compromise f 1 The history of the Missouri question easily divides itself into three divisions 1 The period of agitation with the second session of the Fifteenth Congress 2 the debate in the first session of the Sixteenth Congress 3 the Compromise in the second session of the Sixteenth 10 Congress The first part has reference to the trouble raised at the time of the ti complaint of New Jersey The second i stage may be briefly outlined thus The Z Missouri bill not providing for restrict restrictions restrictions t came before the House February R 13 1819 un 9 an amendment to this was Y offered restricting the right to hold slaves this amendment was carried in inS inthe inthe S th the House but lost in the Senate and coming back to the House the bill was j lost lost t t tt t In the admission of States carved from 1 the great western territory a sort of unwritten unwritten unwritten un un- written rule had been tacitly recognized ti and followed Free and slave states had r Fa rj j been admitted alternately Vermont and andr r Kentucky Tennessee and Ohio Louisiana Louisi Louisi- i ana and Indiana Mississippi and Illinois Illinois Illin Illin- lJ ois ois and now Alabama and Missouri had hadin hadin in turn offered themselves According to this arrangement Missouri should come in as a free State But Missouri i had been peopled by slave-holding slave settlers from the South and their delegate delegate delegate dele dele- gate Scott held out most strongly for a restrictive non-restrictive constitution When the bill authorizing the people to form a ar r State Constitution came up before the l House Tallmadge moved II to to insert a as s clause prohibiting any further i Hildreth VI J Ik t f Hildreth VI Vr Schouler III 1 M 1 tion of slaves and granting freedom to the children of those already there on their attaining the age of twenty y Af After er a stormy debate of three days the motion was carried by a vote of 87 to 76 A similar bill coming in from Arkansas Taylor moved to insert the same restriction restriction restriction tion the part relating to the freedom of children was carried by 75 to 73 but the prohibition clause lost by 70 to 71 The next day the clause carried was stricken en out and then Taylor moved what afterwards was an essential part of the Missouri Compromise viz that thereafter neither slavery nor involuntary servitude should be introduced in any any part of the United States north of the 36 30 N. N L. L and thus the idea of dividing the western territory into a slave and slave non-slave holdin holding portion was conceived almost at the beginning of the controversy and not the end This latter motion was opposed by both the Northern and the Southern representatives tives and was finally withdrawn Upon Tallmadge feeble in body devolved the duty of meeting the full force ot of the attack He was ably supported by Taylor Livermore and Fuller while their were Clay Philip Barbour Barbour Barbour Bar- Bar bour Cobb Pindall and Scott Scottt f t The chief arguments against the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed restriction in Missouri were 1 That the restrictions be contrary to the provisions of the Louisiana Louisi Louisi- ana cession which asserted that all inhabitants inhabitants inhabitants in in- habitants of the new region should enjoy all of the privileges of citizens of the United States one of which privileges presumably was the holding in bondage of fellow creatures 2 The retention or abolition of slavery being entirely optional with the State it was an invasion of State sovereignty to thus impose restrictions precedent to the admission of the State 1 Hildreth VI Vr t t Schouler III 1 3 It would be an invasion of the rights of slave holders to enjoy their own property and 4 Clay urged with tears in his eyes that to confine the ever increasing number number number num num- ber of slaves within the narrow limits they now occupied would be to inflict r upon them an incalculable hardship since by being thus massed their means of sustenance would be exhausted and universal starvation would be the result t During the deb debate te which followed 1 feeling ran high and threats were made by southern gentlemen which seemed to a secession should the bill be passed The points above mentioned I K i were answered by powerful speeches made by Tallmadge and Taylor l To the first point the reply was that the holding of slaves was not a right of citizens of the United Stat States s whatever it might be as regarding individual f states i To the second the answer was essentially essen essentially essen- essen f that Congress had already exercised exercised exer exer- f this power of directing certain affairs of pu public welfare before the admission admission adt ad ad- t mission of the new state and that too without serious ques question in from the southern south south- ern gentlemen when they had required Louisiana to adopt English as the official official official cial language and to introduce trial by bj jury in criminal cases and further not notto notto notto to exercise this power poker now in suppressing suppressing suppressing suppress suppress- ing this great evil would be a II gross gross dereliction of principle Replying to the fourth Tallmadge said 1 It It has been argued with great plausibility that We should rather spread the slaves now in the country than confine confine confine con con- fine them to their present districts thus diminishing the danger from them while we i increase se the means of their living and augment their comforts Since we |