The Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise came up before the Civil War because of disagreements, and an upset balance of power. Before the war, the power in congress was equal between states with slavery, and without slavery. There had been a conflict going on, but so far neither side  had more power than the other. Each side was worried that if the other was to gain a state on their side, they would overpower them in congress. This balance of power was about to become in favor of the slave states, as Missouri wanted to join the Union as a slave state. There was a conflict in congress, as the free states did not want Missouri to join. To fix this, they came up with a compromise. Missouri was allowed to join as a slave state, but Massachusetts was split into two states, Massachusetts and Maine. This way, the balance was once again even. To prevent this problem from happening again, no slavery was to be allowed north of the 36 30 degrees line, which split North America about in half.

Massachusetts was split into 2, becoming Massachusetts and Maine, Missouri entered as a slave state, and the 36 30 line split the country.