What caused the Missouri Compromise of 1820 in the US. Was it slavery or sectionalism, and it so why and how did either one of those caused the Missouri Compromise?

 

Slavery. In an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Step-by-step explanation

Slavery. In an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. , while banning slavery from the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands located north of the 36º 30' parallel. The Missouri Compromise was meant to create balance between slave and non-slave states. With it, the country was equally divided between slave and free states. Admitting Missouri as a slave state gave the south one more state than the north. Adding Maine as a free state balanced things out again.