During the westward expansion of the United States, several key compromises were made regarding slavery to appease Southern states. One significant compromise was the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state, thus maintaining the balance between free and slave states. Additionally, the Compromise of 1850 included the Fugitive Slave Act, which mandated that escaped slaves be returned to their owners, a provision that heavily favored Southern slaveholders by enforcing their property rights even in free territories. Lastly, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 introduced the concept of popular sovereignty, allowing settlers in these territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, which was seen as a victory for the South as it opened new areas to potential slaveholding. Each of these acts aimed to maintain the delicate balance of power between free and slave states while also appealing to the interests of Southern states.
In a paragraph, describe three compromises that were made over the practice of slavery during the expansion of the United States into western areas. Identify the details in each act designed to appeal to the South. Write like a student
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