Question

Admitting Missouri to the Union would have

maintained the balance of power in Congress.

tipped power in Congress in favor of the free states.

tipped power in Congress in favor of the slave states.

Answer 1

Admitting Missouri to the Union as a slave state would have tipped the balance in favor of slave states, but the Missouri Compromise maintained the balance by also admitting Maine as a free state and setting the 36°30′ latitude line as a boundary for slavery expansion.

Step-by-step explanation:

Admitting Missouri to the Union would have tipped the balance of power in Congress in favor of the slave states. In 1819, the petition of Missouri to join the Union as a slave state brought the sectional balance between slave and free states near to tipping. This was addressed by the Missouri Compromise, orchestrated by Henry Clay, which admitted Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. This compromise is intended to maintain the balance of power in Congress between free and slave states and to prevent future conflicts over slavery in new territories. The Missouri Compromise also prohibited slavery north of Missouri's southern border at the 36°30′ latitude line, thus setting a geographical limit to the expansion of slavery in the future.