The Compromise of 1850 was a set of legislation passed by Congress to address the ongoing debate over slavery and its expansion in the United States. It consisted of several measures aimed at maintaining the balance between free and slave states. The terms of the Compromise were:
1. California would be admitted as a free state, balancing the addition of Texas as a slave state.
2. The slave trade would be abolished in the District of Columbia.
3. The territories of Utah and New Mexico would be organized without restrictions on slavery, allowing the issue to be decided by popular sovereignty.
4. The Fugitive Slave Act was strengthened, requiring the return of escaped slaves to their owners in the South, even in free states.
These terms were seen as a temporary resolution to the growing tensions between the North and the South over the expansion of slavery. However, it ultimately failed to achieve its intended purpose and only delayed the outbreak of the American Civil War.
which accurately describes the terms of the compromise of 1850
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