Which of the following was a provision of the Compromise of 1850?

• A. California admitted as a free state
• B. The United States paid off Texas debt
• C. Slavery prohibited in all new territories
• D. The Fugitive Slave Law was repealed

Answer: (A)

Balancing free and slave interests in new states and territories was the aim of the Compromise of 1850. Admitting California as a free state directly addressed the sectional tension by shifting the Senate balance toward free states, which is why this provision stands out as correct. The other statements misstate what happened: the law did not simply erase Texas debt—Texas debt was assumed by the federal government and Texas received a payment to relinquish land claims, rather than the debt being paid off entirely. Slavery was not prohibited in all new territories; rather, Utah and New Mexico would decide by popular sovereignty whether slavery would exist there. And the Fugitive Slave Law was not repealed; it was strengthened as part of the compromise.