What was the main purpose of the Missouri Compromise?

The main purpose of the Missouri Compromise was to maintain the balance of power between slave and free states. This compromise was reached in 1820 in the context of increasing tensions between the North and South regarding the expansion of slavery into new territories. At that time, the United States was divided into free states, where slavery was prohibited, and slave states, where it was permitted. The admission of Missouri as a slave state threatened to upset the delicate balance in Congress, as it would give more power to the slave states.

To address this issue, the Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state while simultaneously admitting Maine as a free state, thus maintaining the balance of representation in the Senate. Additionally, the compromise established a geographic boundary, the 36°30' parallel, north of which slavery would be prohibited in the remaining territories of the Louisiana Purchase. This was a significant attempt to manage the conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions and illustrates the complexities of the issue of slavery in American politics at the time.