Missouri admitted as the 24th U.S. state

Background. The path to statehood began with the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which resolved the 'Missouri Crisis' by permitting slavery in the new state. Earlier debates in the 15th Congress had stalled due to antislavery amendments, but the 16th Congress passed the legislation in March 1820. This agreement balanced northern and southern desires, setting a precedent for admitting states in pairs to maintain sectional equilibrium.

Admission Process. Final admission occurred during the 1820–1821 session. A significant struggle arose over a clause in Missouri's 1820 constitution that excluded 'free negroes and mulattoes' from the state. Despite these controversies, Missouri was admitted as the 24th state in 1821. The state capital was temporarily located in St. Charles until a permanent capital could be established.

Legacy. For decades, Americans viewed the 1820 agreement as an essential compromise, comparable in importance to the Constitution itself. However, Thomas Jefferson predicted in April 1820 that the line drawn by the compromise would eventually tear the Union apart. The admission of Missouri in 1821 continued the trend of balancing free and slave states, a practice that lasted until the Compromise of 1850.