Final answer:
The Compromise of 1850 included the strengthening of the fugitive slave laws, admission of California as a free state, and the abolition of the slave trade in Washington D.C., among other provisions. It aimed to appease both the North and South but ultimately escalated tensions leading toward the Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of legislative actions aiming to resolve the sectional tensions between the Northern and Southern states in the United States. It was triggered by California's application to enter the Union as a free state and included several key provisions designed to appease both pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. Notably, the Compromise of 1850 led to the admission of California as a free state, the abolishment of the slave trade (not slavery itself) in Washington D.C., and the creation of a new, more stringent Fugitive Slave Law, which required citizens to assist in the capture of escaped slaves and criminalized aiding their escape.
The correct answer to the schoolwork question '2. The Compromise of 1850' among the options provided is (d) strengthened the fugitive slave laws. This law heightened tensions in the North as many were opposed to the stringent regulations and moral implications of capturing and returning escaped slaves. The fugitive slave laws and the concept of popular sovereignty in the newly organized territories of New Mexico and Utah failed to settle the disagreement over slavery and instead led to increased sectional conflict, foreshadowing the Civil War.
Senator Stephen Douglas played a crucial role in the Compromise's passage by separating Henry Clay's original proposal into parts, which were then passed as individual bills. This legislative strategy ultimately enabled the series of laws that composed the Compromise of 1850 to succeed.