Since Monroe had been elected by a vote all but unanimous, the
result was in either case the same; this theoretical question,
nevertheless, was fraught with dangerous possibilities. Missouri was
finally admitted by the proclamation of President Monroe, dated
August 10, 1821, more than three years from the first application
for statehood.
In a large view of American history, the significance of this great
struggle cannot be too highly emphasized. Although the danger passed
by and the ocean became placid, yet the storm in many ways changed
the coast-line of American politics and broke new channels for the
progress of the nation. The future had been revealed to far-sighted
statesmen, who realized that this was but the beginning, not the
end, of the struggle. "This momentous question," wrote Jefferson,
"like a fire bell in the night, awakened and filled me with terror.
I considered it at once as the knell of the Union. It is hushed,
indeed, for the moment. But this is a reprieve only, not a final
sentence.
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