Missouri Compromise Quizzes
Think you’ve got your head wrapped around Missouri Compromise? Put your knowledge to
the test. Good luck — the Stickman is counting on you!
Q. In Section 6, the compromise specifies "That thirty-six sections, or one entire township, which shall be designated by the President of the United States, together with the other lands heretofore reserved for that purpose, shall be reserved for the use of a seminary of learning." (6.8) Why was the President of the United States chosen for this job?
Congress didn't want the job.
President Monroe demanded it.
He was seen as an impartial party and as one of the highest authorities in the land.
The Missouri legislature requested the President do so.
Q. In section 8 when the Compromise addresses the issue of slavery and the new border, why is it specified to pertain to "all that territory ceded by France to the United States, under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes north latitude?" (8.2)
Congress threw darts at a map and this was where they happened to land.
Texas wouldn't have joined the Union otherwise.
The border followed almost exactly the extended Mason-Dixon Line, the informal boundary between North and South.
This would fall exactly on Missouri's northern border, making Missouri the northern-most slave state.
Q. Why does the Compromise specify "That until the next general census shall be taken, the said state shall be entitled to one representative in the House of Representatives of the United States"(5.1)?
Congress believed that Missouri would likely only need one representative.
Missouri didn't want any unfair advantages in Congress.
Because Congress was sick of hearing about Missouri and this seemed like the easiest thing to do.
Congress felt that under-representation for a short time was preferable to over-representation.
Q. In line 4.1, what is meant by "That the same, whenever formed, shall be republican, and not repugnant to the constitution of the United States?"
That the Missouri constitution could not conflict in any extreme way with the U.S. Constitution.
That congress wanted to prevent Missouri from ending up as a Democrat-held state.
Congress felt that Missourians were repugnant
Congress felt that Missouri wasn't up to the task of writing its own constitution, so they set down some guidelines.
Q. When discussing the location of the state capitol, why does the Compromise specify "That such locations shall be made prior to the public sale of the lands of the United States surrounding such location" (6.7)?
To prevent Missouri from selling land and then just reclaiming it as the state capitol.
To enforce the law of no-take-backsies.
To help manage the way land rights were handled in the new states.
Because Congress felt Missouri was going to choose a poor spot for their capitol.