As the US was growing, tensions were rising between the North and South over whether or not to add slavery in new territories.
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When California was about to join the United States, they petitioned to join as a free state. This did not abide with the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The Compromise of 1850 was created by Henry Clay to satisfy the North and South.
To please the Northerners, California was accepted into the Union as a free state.
To please the South, the Fugitive Slave Act was enacted in 1850.This required that any runaway slaves have to be sent back to their master.Anyone who helped slaves escape will also be punished with a fine and jail sentence.
Another aspect of the Compromise of 1850 was popular sovereignty. This is when the people can vote to make decisions on certain issues. The residents in the territories of New Mexico and Utah can vote on whether or not they want slavery in their lands.
The effects of the Compromise of 1850 are that disagreements increased and this caused tensions between the North and South.Both sides had fought for gaining power politically and economically by voting at referendums, fighting at new territories and passing laws that favor their economy.These events have gradually contributed to the Civil War.