USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -These tensions became especially critical when Congress began to consider whether western lands acquired after the Mexican-American War would permit slavery. In 1849, California requested permission to enter the Union as a “free state” – meaning one where slavery was banned.

Detailed explanation-2: -In 1849 California requested permission to enter the Union as a free state, potentially upsetting the balance between the free and slave states in the U.S. Senate. Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions on January 29, 1850, in an attempt to seek a compromise and avert a crisis between North and South.

Detailed explanation-3: -On September 9, 1850, California was admitted as a free state as part of the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise was actually a series of bills passed mainly to address issues related to slavery.

Detailed explanation-4: -Clay’s proposal was opposed by President Zachary Taylor, anti-slavery Whigs like William Seward, and pro-slavery Democrats like John C. Calhoun, and congressional debate over the territories continued.