Chapter 21: The Tallmadge Amendment threatens the Union.

The second crisis arises unexpectedly in 1819, and re-opens regional tensions around slavery that will eventually lead to the Civil War.

The spark here is a February debate in the House over the admission of Missouri into the Union as a Slave State. This would upset the current 11:11 equilibrium in the Senate between Free and Slave states. It might also set a new geographical precedent for the future spread of slavery across the Louisiana Purchase territory — since the bulk of Missouri land falls well north of where the Ohio River – the historical dividing line – ends in Illinois.

The Northern protest is registered by a one-term congressman from Pennsylvania, James Tallmadge Jr., who offers an amendment saying that Missouri can be admitted…

Provided that the further introduction of slavery or involuntary servitude be prohibited…and that all children born within the said state after the admission…shall be free at the age of twenty-five years.

The Tallmadge Amendment is seen by the South as a Northern attempt to restrict the expansion of slavery, a critical blow to the cornerstone of its future economic growth. Jefferson calls the amendment a “fire-bell in the night” threatening to end the Union if not rebuffed. But after furious Southern attacks are leveled at Tallmadge, the House passes the measure by an 87-76 margin, which amplifies the regional tensions even further. While the Senate wants nothing to do with this controversy and rejects the amendment by 31-7, the House passes it a second time.