The fundamental question addressed in each of these congressional acts primarily revolves around the issue of whether slave labor should be allowed in new states. Here's a brief overview of each act’s primary focus:
-
Missouri Compromise (1820) - The fundamental question was whether Missouri would be admitted to the Union as a slave state, which led to the regulation of slavery in newly acquired territories.
-
Compromise of 1850 - This addressed the status of slavery in territories acquired from the Mexican-American War, particularly whether they would be admitted as free or slave states.
-
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) - This act essentially introduced the idea of popular sovereignty, allowing the settlers of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, thus raising the question of slavery's expansion into those territories.
So, the overarching question for all three acts can be summarized as: Should slave labor be allowed in new states?