Political Campaign Issues in the Election of 1820

In 1819, a year before the political campaign thatUnited States as a slave state, but Maine would
would elect a new president, the Missourialso join as a free state. Additional laws were
Territory petitioned to join the Union as a state.passed to ban slavery in all remaining territory
At the time, America was evenly split into statesacquired in the Louisiana Purchase, north of a
that did permit slavery and those that did not,specific line of latitude.
with 11 on each side. The Constitution had statedMany political figures--including John Quincy Adams
that the issue of whether or not to allow slaveryand Thomas Jefferson--saw the Missouri
was up to each individual state.Compromise as a dangerous sign of division within
Republican Congressman James Talmadge of Newthe United States, where lines that separated
York, however, suggested that Missouri's petitionslave states from free states were drawn.
to join the Union contain an amendment statingToday, the Missouri Compromise is viewed as a
that no additional slaves could be brought into thepolitical mistake. In 1820, however, when president
state and that those that were already thereJames Monroe was running a political campaign for
would be eventually be set free.reelection, his administration's policies were viewed
This proposal launched a fierce debate infavorably--so favorably, in fact, that the
Congress and set up an issue that would loomRepublican members of Congress felt that it was
large in the upcoming political campaign. Southernnot necessary to discuss nominations; Monroe
congressmen argued that each state had thewas the clear choice as the candidate who would
right to decide whether or not to permit slavery.run the best campaign and be most likely to win
The debate was finally resolved with aon election day.
compromise in March 1820. Missouri could join the