Which compromise in 1820 sought to preserve power in Congress by balancing free and slave states and included Missouri as slave and Maine as free?

Which compromise in 1820 sought to preserve power in Congress by balancing free and slave states and included Missouri as slave and Maine as free?

• A. Compromise of 1820
• B. Missouri Compromise
• C. Compromise of 1850
• D. Three-Fifths Compromise

Answer: (B)

Balancing power in Congress between free and slave states is the key idea here. In 1820, the nation reached an agreement designed to keep equal influence in the Senate as new states entered the Union. Missouri would enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state, so the overall number of free and slave states stayed even. This move also set a geographic guideline for future admissions: slavery would be prohibited in most of the northern territories north of the 36°30′ latitude line, with the exception of Missouri itself. The aim was to provide a temporary, workable solution to sectional tensions over where slavery would be legal as the country expanded westward. Other options either refer to different events or eras (a later compromise, or a provision from the Constitution), so they don’t fit this specific 1820 balancing act.

Balancing power in Congress between free and slave states is the key idea here. In 1820, the nation reached an agreement designed to keep equal influence in the Senate as new states entered the Union. Missouri would enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state, so the overall number of free and slave states stayed even. This move also set a geographic guideline for future admissions: slavery would be prohibited in most of the northern territories north of the 36°30′ latitude line, with the exception of Missouri itself. The aim was to provide a temporary, workable solution to sectional tensions over where slavery would be legal as the country expanded westward. Other options either refer to different events or eras (a later compromise, or a provision from the Constitution), so they don’t fit this specific 1820 balancing act.