33 And how could they become states if they weren't allowed to keep their slaves?
CHAPTER 211 As a aJeffersonian democrat, President Madison understood that everybody had a point.
2 For example, like the bNew England Puritans, he didn't exactly approve of slavery,
3 Although being a cVirginian himself, he understood the position of the southerners too,
4 dBecause if you lived in the south, you needed somebody to do all the work,
5 And the poor whites were too eproud to do it,
6 fMeaning too quarrelsome, lazy, and vindictive to take orders,
7 Unless you could make them gcooperate with whips and leg irons,
8 Which were illegal to use,
9 hOn white people.
10 And so iMonroe figured out that the best thing to do was compromise,
11 jWhich is the Yank way of doing something quick and easy right now, so that someone else will have to make the real decision later on,
12 Hopefully much later on,
13 When you're already out of office.
14 And so everyone agreed on the kMissouri Compromise,
15 Which said that new southern states could have lslaves,
16 And new northern states m couldn't,
17 Which seemed reasonable to everybody,
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18 nThat is, everybody who was legally entitled to vote.
CHAPTER 221 The reason the Missouri Compromise was so important was that pioneers were already starting to omigrate westward,
2 pInto the new lands acquired through the Louisiana Purchase,
3 Which meant that there would be more states signing up to join the United States,
4 qAnd sooner or later, the Yanks would have to make a decision about how to handle slavery.
5 If too many southern states joined up, slavery could be legalized by congress in the northern states too,
6 Which would have increased the northern population of negroes,
7 And the northern states have always been pretty united about not needing any more negroes,
8 Especially since you could mail away to Britain and Europe for indentured servants,
9 rWhich were almost as inexpensive as slaves,
10 sAnd just as obedient and powerless,
11 tAnd white.
12 On the other hand, if too many northern states joined up, congress might outlaw slavery in the southern states,
13 Which would have been a disaster.
14 Not that the southerners really liked negroes either,
15 But they were used to them,
16 uAnd their whole economy depended on them.
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