ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Compromise of 1850

Okay kiddo, let's learn about the Compromise of 1850!

Back in 1850, there was a big argument in the United States about whether new states should be free or allow slavery. Some people wanted to keep slavery, and some people wanted to get rid of it.

So, a group of very important people called Congress got together to try to solve this problem. They came up with a plan called the Compromise of 1850.

Basically, the plan said that California would be a free state and that there would be no more buying and selling of slaves in Washington, D.C. But, they also said that people who escaped from slavery and ran to free states had to be sent back to their owners.

Some people liked the Compromise of 1850, but others didn't. Some people were happy that California would be free, but others were upset that they couldn't keep their slaves.

Overall, the Compromise was kind of like a big deal that helped settle a big argument about slavery in America.