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Essay On Missouri Compromise

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The Missouri Compromise was one of the great landmark episodes in a series of events that slowly led up to a fracturing of the northern and southern states which constitute the United States of America. Eventually, over time, and with the addition of other factors, this fracture would grow into the American Civil War. The Missouri compromise is not simply a bygone event, it is an important component of American history and it’s effects have altered the course of history. Had things gone differently the United States might have become a very different sort of place than it is today. To fully appreciate the Missouri Compromise one must know a little bit about what was going on in the country just before it took place. The major event which preceded the compromise was the great Panic of 1819. In 1819 …show more content…

Now in 1819, much to the consternation of the other banks, the Second Bank of the United States demands payment in cash. “Hundreds of banks, unable to redeem their notes, failed, and thousands of speculators lost their property to foreclosures.” This great shock to the economy was experienced still almost six years after the fact. Of course the farmers were most heavily impacted by this great depression in the economy. The panic did not stop with the farmers, it also affected shopkeepers, workers, and producers. In short, no one escaped being hit by the depression. Something had to be done about this. People called for the dissolution of the Second Bank of the United States, trade unions were formed, and “One response was a widespread call for ‘stay laws’ aimed at protecting debtors in danger of losing their property to creditors.” These are but a few examples to show just how poor America’s economy was in 1819 before the compromise took place. The Panic led also to an increase in the “sectional divisions” that had been forming throughout the

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