Question

The addition of ____ to the Union as a slave state led to a disagreement with northerners. They felt that the formation of another slave state must be balanced by creating a corresponding___ state. That is how the state of Maine was formed.

Answer 1

The addition of Missouri to the Union as a slave state led to a disagreement with northerners. They felt that the formation of another slave state must be balanced by creating a corresponding free state. That is how the state of Maine was formed.

Missouri applied for admission to the Union as a slave state in 1819, and was accepted. Northerners, most of whom were against slavery, immediately opposed to such admission since they believed that Southern slave-holding states had too much power already. After longs debates in the Congress, it was decided that for every slave state, there must be one free state. And that's how Maine was formed, which was originally part of Massachusetts.