The Missouri Compromise of 1820 is reflected in maps through several key features:
- It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining a balance between slave and free states
- The most distinctive feature on the map is the 36°30′ parallel line drawn across the Louisiana Purchase territory. This line served as a boundary: slavery was prohibited in all new states and territories north of this line (except Missouri), while slavery was allowed south of it
- On maps of the period, you can see Missouri marked as a slave state just south of the 36°30′ line, while Maine is shown as a free state to the northeast
- The rest of the Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ line are depicted as free territory, and those south of the line as open to slavery, illustrating the compromise’s attempt to limit the expansion of slavery geographically
Thus, the Missouri Compromise is visually represented on maps by the division of the country along the 36°30′ latitude line, with states and territories designated as free or slave accordingly. This geographical boundary was central to the political balance the compromise sought to maintain between North and South
