Which measure admitted California as a free state and enforced the Fugitive Slave Law in the North?

Which measure admitted California as a free state and enforced the Fugitive Slave Law in the North?

• A. It abolished slavery in the United States.
• B. It admitted California as a free state and ended the Fugitive Slave Law.
• C. It admitted California as a free state and strengthened the Fugitive Slave Law in the North.
• D. It repealed the 36 30 boundary.

Answer: (C)

This centers on the Compromise of 1850 and how it tried to balance free and slave states. One part of that package admitted California as a free state, and another part tightened the Fugitive Slave Law, increasing the obligation of Northern states to aid in capturing and returning escaped enslaved people. That combination is why this option is the best: it reflects both the admission of California as free and the strengthened federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law in the North. The other statements don’t fit: slavery wasn’t abolished nationwide, the Fugitive Slave Law wasn’t repealed (it was strengthened), and the 36°30′ boundary relates to the Missouri Compromise era, not this measure.

This centers on the Compromise of 1850 and how it tried to balance free and slave states. One part of that package admitted California as a free state, and another part tightened the Fugitive Slave Law, increasing the obligation of Northern states to aid in capturing and returning escaped enslaved people. That combination is why this option is the best: it reflects both the admission of California as free and the strengthened federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law in the North.

The other statements don’t fit: slavery wasn’t abolished nationwide, the Fugitive Slave Law wasn’t repealed (it was strengthened), and the 36°30′ boundary relates to the Missouri Compromise era, not this measure.