"On August 10, 1821, Missouri entered the Union as the twenty-fourth state. Named after the Native American people who originally inhabited the land, Missouri was acquired by the U.S. as part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. At that time, the territory's occupants were mainly French settlers. After the War of 1812, American settlers poured into the region.

Question

"On August 10, 1821, Missouri entered the Union as the twenty-fourth state. Named after the Native American people who originally inhabited the land, Missouri was acquired by the U.S. as part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. At that time, the territory's occupants were mainly French settlers. After the War of 1812, American settlers poured into the region.

In 1818, the Speaker of the House of Representatives presented the first petition of the Territory of Missouri requesting statehood. The question of Missouri's admission as a slave or free state led statesman Henry Clay to devise the Missouri Compromise of 1820, admitting Missouri as a slave state while admitting Maine as a free state, and prohibiting slavery in Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36° 30', Missouri's southern border." —Library of Congress

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
How would the simultaneous admission of Missouri and Maine help to maintain peace in the United States?

Answer 1

The simultaneous admission of Missouri and Maine helped to maintain peace in the United States by addressing the issue of slavery. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, thereby keeping a balance between the number of slave and free states in the Union. This compromise prevented tensions from escalating between the North and South over the issue of slavery, which helped to maintain peace in the country.