What was a key outcome of the Missouri Compromise in 1820?

• A. Establishing California as a free state
• B. Prohibiting slavery in the northern territories
• C. Allowing Missouri to enter as a free state
• D. Creating a path for westward expansion

Answer: (B)

The key outcome of the Missouri Compromise in 1820 was that it effectively prohibited slavery in the northern territories of the Louisiana Purchase above the 36°30′ parallel. This was significant because it aimed to maintain a balance between free and slave states within the Union, which was increasingly becoming a contentious issue as the nation expanded westward. The compromise allowed Missouri to join the Union as a slave state while simultaneously admitting Maine as a free state, thereby preserving the balance in Congress. The provision regarding the northern territories not only aimed to limit the spread of slavery but also set a precedent for how issues of slavery and new states would be handled moving forward. This conflict over slavery ultimately contributed to the growing divisions within the country leading up to the Civil War.