The Kansas-Nebraska Act — Quiz

Question 6 • US History

In the 1800s, why did the US government want to keep the number of free states and slave states equal?

Answer

to prevent one region from becoming more economically unstable than another and to keep the US economy on an even keel

to provide settlers in the territories the opportunity and the right to determine the issue of slavery for themselves

to make it less likely that enslaved workers would attempt to escape a slave state to seek freedom in a free state

to maintain a balance in Congress between the number of representatives who supported slavery compared to those who opposed it

Explanation

Each state had two senators, so keeping the number of free states and slave states equal helped maintain an even balance in the Senate between lawmakers who supported and opposed slavery. This balance mattered because the Senate could pass or block laws affecting slavery. The goal was political power, not keeping the regions economically equal or deciding slavery through settlers’ votes.

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