"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 as a slave state and Maine as a free state through the Missouri Compromise of 1820 helped maintain peace in the United States by balancing the number of slave and free states in the Union. By admitting one slave state and one free state at the same time, it helped prevent one side from gaining a significant advantage in Congress and potentially escalating tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery. This compromise aimed to satisfy both sides and maintain a delicate balance between slave and free states in the Union.