This map represents the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which was a legislative agreement aimed at solving the conflict between slave states and free states in the growing United States. The main purpose of this compromise was to maintain a balance of power in Congress between the northern free states and the southern slave states as new territories and states were being added to the Union. Key figures involved in creating this compromise included Henry Clay, who was known as the "Great Compromiser," and it involved states like Missouri, which was admitted as a slave state, and Maine, which became a free state.
While the Missouri Compromise did provide a temporary solution by creating a clear boundary for slavery, it ultimately proved ineffective in the long run because it didn’t resolve the underlying tensions between the North and South. The compromise established the line at the 36°30′ parallel to differentiate between free and slave territories, but it also led to increased disagreement, particularly as new states were being added, and did not stop the rise of abolitionist sentiments in the North. In summary, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 sought to address the contentious issue of slavery in new states, but while it offered a temporary fix, it failed to put an end to the deepening divide over slavery in America.