Key Content Review: Rising Tensions

Question 5 • FL-2100310-United States History A

Which best explains why California’s application for statehood caused a sectional crisis?

Answer

California’s entrance as a free state would upset the legislative balance in favor of the North.

California’s entrance as a slave state would upset the legislative balance in favor of the South.

California’s entrance as a slave state would cause free Black people there to lose their freedom.

California’s entrance as a free state would cause enslaved people there to be freed automatically.

Explanation

California sought admission as a free state, and adding it would shift the balance of power in the Senate toward free states in the North. Southern leaders feared losing influence over national policy, making statehood a source of sectional conflict. Choice A correctly describes this concern; California was not applying to enter as a slave state.

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