The Issue of Slavery
Another issue after the War of 1812 was slavery, particularly with the admission of Missouri to the United States. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 had declared that no state northwest of the Ohio River could be a slave state, or a state in which slavery was legal. Since Missouri was not northwest of the Ohio River it did not fall under the same jurisdiction. Members of Congress from northern states raised opposition to the state being admitted, because they feared it would increase the power of the southern states in the Senate.
