As America expands westward, the matter of whether or not to allow enslaved human beings in new states becomes a heated issue. Missouri is denied admission to the Union in 1819 due to its pro-slavery stance. The Missouri Compromise is then brokered by Monroe. In exchange for allowing Missouri statehood, the northern anti-slavery territory of Maine is also made a state. This maintains a legislative balance between South and North. Monroe only signs the bill into law when he is satisfied it is constitutional.
