Slavery existed in the USA since the Seventeenth Century. Southern and Northern states disagreed about the role of slavery in society, which ultimately led to the civil war and the rise of the Republican Party in the 1850s.
Slavery had existed in the USA since the 17th Century.
| South | North |
|---|---|
| Mainly agricultural land with large plantations (farms) | Mixed economy with factories and farms |
| Plantation work done by slaves | Generally, work was done by paid employees |
| Many Southerners saw slavery as essential to their way of life | Many in the North wanted to see slavery abolished |
For many years there was an uneasy alliance between the Northern free states and the Southern slave states. This was not to last for long. As more people from both the North and the South were moving west, the issue of slavery started to create problems.
As new states were created, the issue of slavery threatened to pull the country apart.
In 1820 the Missouri Compromise was passed to sort out this issue.
By 1819, the US was made up of 22 states - evenly split between Slave States and Free States.
In November 1819, Missouri requested to become a new state, one which allowed slavery. The North wanted to block the spread of slavery. They were also concerned that an extra slave state would give the South a political advantage. The South thought new states should be free to allow slavery if they wanted. as furious they did not want slavery to spread and the North to have an advantage in the US senate. It took until March 1820 for a compromise to be reached.