Dividing the union jesse burgess thomas and the making of the missouri compromiseby hall matthew w carbondale il southern illinois university press 2016pp xiii 269 2950. It fell to jesse burgess thomas 1777 1853 a junior us senator from the new state of illinois to handle the delicate negotiations that led to the missouri compromise thomass maturity good judgment and restraint helped pull the country back from the brink of disunion and created a compromise that held for thirtyfour years in dividing the union matthew w hall examines the legal issues underlying the controversy and the legislative history of the missouri compromise while focusing . Dividing the union jesse burgess thomas and the making of the missouri compromise. Dividing the union book read reviews from worlds largest community for readers winner ishs superior achievement award for a scholarly publication 20. Dividing the union jesse burgess thomas and the making of the missouri compromise matthew w hall winner ishs superior achievement award for a scholarly publication 2016 in 1820 the missouri controversy erupted over the issue of slavery in the