They were important because they were not controlled by the government or the church. Therefore they were free to explore in scientific experiments as much as they wanted without these controls.
Remember the 3 G`s
God
Gold
Glory
Morphine
Hope this answer helps i just finished an assignment on this.<span />
Answer: The Compromise of 1850 was necessary because the North and the South were badly split on the issue of the lands that had been taken from Mexico in the recent war. California wanted to enter the Union as a free state, but that would have upset the balance between free and slave states.
