1. (C) The Northwest Ordinance, which limited the expansion of slavery
2. (A) Admission of Maine as a free state
3. (B) Abolitionists demanding an immediate end to slavery
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
Questions 1–3 refer to the following excerpt.
“It is hushed indeed for the moment. but this [Missouri Compromise] is
a reprieve only, not a final sentence. a geographical line, coinciding with a
marked principle, moral and political, once conceived and held up to the
angry passions of men, will never be obliterated; and every new irritation
will mark it deeper and deeper. I can say with conscious truth that there is
not a man on earth who would sacrifice more than I would, to relieve us
Clay’s Proposals After months of heated debate in Congress and
throughout the nation, Henry Clay won majority support for three bills that,
taken together, represented a compromise:
1. admit Missouri as a slave-holding state
2. admit Maine as a free state
3. prohibit slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of latitude
36° 30΄
Both houses passed the bills, and President Monroe added his signature in
March 1820 to what became known as the Missouri Compromise.
Aftermath Sectional feelings on the slavery issue subsided after 1820. The
Missouri Compromise preserved sectional balance for more than 30 years and
provided time for the nation to mature. Nevertheless, if an era of good feelings
existed, it was badly damaged by the storm of sectional controversy over
Missouri. After this political crisis, Americans were torn between feelings of
nationalism (loyalty to the Union) on the one hand and feelings of sectionalism
(loyalty to one’s own region) on the other.
REFLECT ON THE LEARNING OBJECTIVE
1. Explain how the viewpoints from the different sections of the new
republic impacted the discussion of the role of the Federal government.
KEY TERMS BY THEME
Public Confidence (NAT)
Era of Good Feelings
James Monroe
economic nationalism
sectionalism
Industry (WXT)
Tariff of 1816
protective tariff
Henry Clay
American System
Second Bank of the United
States
Panic of 1819
Making the Law (POL)
Tallmadge Amendment
Missouri Compromise (1820)
181TOPIC 4.3 POLITICS AND REGIONAL INTERESTS
from this heavy reproach, in any practicable way. . . . to regulate the condition
of the different descriptions of men composing a state. This certainly is the
exclusive right of every state, which nothing in the constitution has taken
from them and given to the general government.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Holmes, April 22, 1820
1. Which of the following provided a precedent on the issue described by
Jefferson that was reflected in the Missouri Compromise?
(A) The Declaration of Independence, which declared all men equal
(B) The Articles of Confederation, which did not allow the national
government to tax individuals
(C) The Northwest Ordinance, which limited the expansion of slavery
(D) The Louisiana Purchase, which showed how the federal government
could expand its power
2. Which of the following was most necessary for the passage of the
Missouri Compromise?
(A) Admission of Maine as a free state
(B) Support from John Quincy Adams
(C) Adding the Tallmadge Amendment
(D) A unified Democratic-Republican Party
3. Which of the following groups would most strongly agree with
Jefferson’s views about the future impact of the Missouri Compromise?
(A) Federalists calling for a stronger national government
(B) Abolitionists demanding an immediate end to slavery
(C) Democratic-Republicans recognizing the need for more
compromises
(D) Settlers in the Louisiana Territory seeking more land
1 answer
1 answer