Missouri Compromise Conference Committee Report

What it is

This manuscript is the conference committee's report on the Missouri Compromise, dated March 1, 1820. It is held by the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

The legislation admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state at the same time, keeping the balance between slave and free states, and banned slavery above a set line in the rest of the Louisiana Territory. President Monroe signed this law after consulting his cabinet on whether Congress had the constitutional power to restrict slavery in the territories, making it a key moment in how his administration handled the growing conflict over slavery. The compromise held for decades before being overturned by later law and the Supreme Court.

Look closer

• Why did Congress feel it needed to balance the admission of a slave state with a free state?
• What does this document tell you about how seriously slavery divided the country even in 1820?
• What questions does Monroe's cabinet debate raise about the limits of presidential and congressional power?