Before the 1850s, any state above the 36 '30' parallel was considered a free state, and any state below was a slave state. Additionally, there were even issues regarding Texas’ annexation, as all the territory below that line would be considered slave territory under the Missouri Compromise. The problem of slavery has been a concern in America for many years. Thus, when America gained more territory, conflicts only increased. After the Mexican-American War, the United States gained a large amount of territory through the Mexican Concession. However, there was a problem: one of the territories gained that would grow to be known as California contained land above and below the 36 '30' parallel. This problem regarding territory resulted in the 1850 compromise, an agreement between northern and southern states concerning the status of the land gained by the Mexican cession. Although the 1850 compromise was meant to quell the conflict, it only added fuel to the fire as northern abolitionists were upset over the new fugitive slave law. Additionally, the 1850 compromise established the idea of popular sovereignty when deciding the status of a
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