USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Missouri Compromise of 1820 established the latitude 36°30′ as the northern limit for slavery to be legal in the territories of the west. As part of this compromise, Maine (formerly a part of Massachusetts) was admitted as a free state.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Missouri Compromise also proposed that slavery be prohibited above the 36º 30’ latitude line in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory. This provision held for 34 years, until it was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

Detailed explanation-3: -This parallel of latitude is very important in the history of the United States. This is because it was the line of the Missouri Compromise, which was used to divide the slave and free states west of the Mississippi River, with the exception of Missouri, which is mostly north of this parallel.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Missouri Compromise of 1820 designated the latitude, 36 degrees 30 minutes, as being a dividing line-slavery was allowed below the line, but not above. Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia were then slave states located above the line; however, the rest of the Louisiana Purchase lands were closed to slavery.

Detailed explanation-5: -It is sometimes taken as the boundary between Central California and Southern California. The parallel 36° north approximately forms the southernmost boundary of the Missouri Bootheel with the State of Arkansas. The 36th parallel passes through Duke University in several places.