The Missouri Compromise had the potential to save us from civil war. The real issue was the expansion of slavery and with the compromise line in place, the government would not have to debate whether new states would be free or slave. In every other issue, representatives voted party lines. It was only with slavery they voted by sections. Slavery would have remained an issue, but it was new territory that was the major problem. What brought us to civil war was acquiring new land from Mexico after the Mexican-American War.
Historically Speaking 