Legislation1820
Maine Admitted as 23rd State
Maine was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state and a free state, as part of the Missouri Compromise. Maine had previously been part of Massachusetts, and its admission was paired with Missouri's entry as a slave state to maintain the balance of power in the Senate.
Why It Matters
Maine's admission demonstrated how the political balance between free and slave states shaped the nation's growth, and how legislative compromise could temporarily hold the Union together.