Under the Compromise of 1850, what major change occurred regarding California?

• A. California entered the Union as a free state
• B. California became a slave state
• C. California became a territory with no status on slavery
• D. California remained under territorial status with no immediate decision

Answer: (A)

Admitting California as a free state was the major change. The Compromise of 1850 aimed to resolve tensions over whether new areas would allow slavery, and California’s rapid population growth from the Gold Rush made statehood almost inevitable. By making California a free state, the agreement shifted the balance in Congress toward free states and helped appease Northern concerns about the expansion of slavery. This choice happened instead of California becoming a slave state or remaining a territory, which would have kept the sectional dynamics different. So the defining change is California entering the Union as a free state.