THE BOOK OF DAMN
YANKEES
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BOOK OF MANIFEST DESTINY
The Yanks compromise Missouri
Chapter 22
The reason the Missouri Compromise was so important was that pioneers were already starting to omigrate westward,
2pInto the new lands acquired through the Louisiana purchase,
3Which meant that there would be more states signing up to join the United States.
4qAnd sooner or later, the Yanks would have to make a decision about how to handle slavery.
5If too many southern states joined up, slavery could be legalized by congress in the northern states too,
6Which would have increased the northern population of negroes,
7And the northerners have always been pretty united about not needing any more negroes,
8Especially since you could mail away to Britain and Europe for indentured servants,
9rWhich were almost as inexpensive as slaves,
10sAnd just as obedient and powerless,
11tAnd white.
12On the other hand, if too many northern states joined up, congress might outlaw slavery in the southern states,
13Which would have been a disaster.
14Not that the southerners really liked negroes either,
15But they were used to them,
16uAnd their whole economy depended on them.
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Chapter 22 / 154