Tensions increased because both sides saw this land as an opportunity to gain more states that would either be free or have slaves. California quickly applied for statehood, mainly due to the large increase in population in California because so many people went there to look for gold. California had to be a free state since its constitution banned slavery. With the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted to the Union as a free state. However, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. It required northerners to help capture slaves that had escaped to the North. This led to increased tensions between the North and the South.
