Dividing the Union: Jesse Burgess Thomas and the Making of the Missouri Compromise

Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2016 Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL. 2016. Hardcover. First Printing by Line Number. Book is tight, square, and unmarked. Book Condition: As New. DJ: as New. Beige cloth boards and spine with bright brown lettering on the spine. 269 pp 8vo. In 1820 the Missouri controversy erupted over the issue of slavery in the newly acquired lands of the Louisiana Purchase. It fell to Jesse Burgess Thomas (1777–1853), a junior U.S. senator from the new state of Illinois, to handle the delicate negotiations that led to the Missouri Compromise. Thomas's maturity, good judgment, and restraint helped pull the country back from the brink of disunion and created a compromise that held for thirty-four years. In this book, Matthew W. Hall examines the legal issues underlying the controversy and the legislative history of the Missouri Compromise while focusing on the aspects of Thomas's life and character that gave him such influence. The first in-depth biography of Thomas, Hall's work demonstrates how the legislative battle over the Compromise reflected the underlying nuances of the larger struggle over slavery. A clean very presentable copy.