The Missouri Compromise, enacted in 1820, aimed to maintain a balance between slave and free states as the United States expanded westward. Southerners may have felt that the compromise favored the North for several reasons:
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Population and Representation: The compromise allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state, which maintained a balance in the Senate. However, as more northern states entered the Union, the North gained more representation in Congress, which could lead to policies that favored free states over slave states.
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Geographic Boundaries: The Missouri Compromise established the 36°30' parallel as the boundary for slavery in the Louisiana Territory. North of this line, slavery was prohibited, which meant that much of the new territory acquired was designated as free, limiting the expansion of slavery and the rights of Southern slaveholders.
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Economic Interests: The North had a rapidly industrializing economy that was increasingly dependent on free labor, while the South relied on an agricultural economy supported by enslaved labor. The restrictions on the expansion of slavery into new territories could threaten the Southern economy and way of life.
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Future State Admissions: As new territories were organized and admitted into the Union, Southerners were concerned that the continuation of this geographic division could lead to fewer slave states being created in the future, further diminishing the political power of the South.
Overall, Southerners might have seen the Missouri Compromise as a temporary solution that favored Northern interests, paving the way for further restriction on slavery and granting the North greater political and economic advantages.
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