Which is the best summary of the Missouri compromise ?

Answer 1

The Missouri Compromise, enacted in 1820, was a significant legislative agreement aimed at resolving tensions between free and slave states in the United States. It allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while simultaneously admitting Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance between slave and free states in Congress. Additionally, the compromise established the 36°30′ parallel as the dividing line for future states: territories north of this line (excluding Missouri) would be free, while those to the south could allow slavery. The Missouri Compromise temporarily eased sectional tensions but ultimately highlighted the growing divides over slavery that would contribute to the onset of the Civil War.