Question

Thomas Jefferson's reaction to the Missouri Compromise included, "But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other." (recorded at his home, Monticello, Virginia, 22 April 1820) Explain the point Jefferson is making. Did he see the Missouri Compromise as a success?

Answer 1

In an effort to maintain a balance between the states where slavery was abolished and the states where it was still active, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise which considered Maine as a free state but at the same time considered Missouri as a slave state.

Jefferson considered this legislation as neither a failure or a solution to the slave issue. It was just an action to further delay it, keeping both sides partially happy until a further decision was taken.