The Missouri compromise

Question

the compromise of 1850
The Kansas - Nebraska Act

What was the fundamental question addressed in each of these congressional acts?

Should the U.S. expand westward

Should states be allowed to nullify federal laws?

Should slave labor be allowed in new states?

Should states be able to secede from the Union

Answer 1

The fundamental question addressed in each of these congressional acts was:

1. The Missouri Compromise (1820): Should slave labor be allowed in new states? The Missouri Compromise aimed to resolve the balance between free and slave states as the U.S. expanded westward, establishing certain boundaries regarding the extension of slavery.

2. The Compromise of 1850: Should slave labor be allowed in new states? This series of laws was designed to address the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War, particularly regarding the extension of slavery into those territories.

3. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): Should slave labor be allowed in new states? This act established the concepts of "popular sovereignty," allowing settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves whether they would allow slavery, leading to significant conflict over the issue.

Thus, the correct answer for each of these acts is relative to the question of whether slave labor should be permitted in new states.