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 . Request pdf on jan 1 2018 louie p gallo published dividing the union jesse burgess thomas and the making of the missouri compromise by matthew w hall find read and cite all the . Dividing the union jesse burgess thomas and the making of the missouri compromise. Thomas jesse burgess 1777 1853 legislators united states biography missouri compromise slavery political aspects united states history 19th century legislators missouri compromise politics and government