In Search of Compromise
Missouri Comproimse
In 1820 the Missouri Compromise preserved the balance between slave and free states in the Senate. It also brought about a temporary stop in the debate over slavery. Added Maine as free and Missouri as a slave state.
Compromise of 1850
As the U.S. was expanding west many argued over whether slavery should be allowed into these new territories. When the Mexican Cession was acquired in 1848, the Missouri Compromise line went right through the middle. That was a problem when California wanted to join the Union as a free state as it's bottom half was located in what was to be slave territory. Adding California would also upset the balance of free and slave states so a compromise had to be reached to keep the South happy. As a result the Compromise of 1850 was formed. For the North, California would be added as a free state and the slave trade would be outlawed in Washington D.C. To make the South happy a Fugitive (runaway) Slave Law was formed which said that if a slave was caught anywhere in the U.S. (even free territory) he could and should be returned to his owner in the South.