What did the Missouri Compromise of 1820 aim to achieve?

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was specifically designed to address and ease the growing tensions between the Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery. During this period, the United States was expanding westward, and the question of whether new states admitted to the Union would be free or slave-holding was creating significant political conflict.

The Compromise allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while simultaneously admitting Maine as a free state, thus maintaining a balance between free and slave states in Congress. Additionally, the compromise established a geographical line (the 36°30′ parallel) across the Louisiana Territory, north of which slavery would be prohibited (except for Missouri). By attempting to limit the spread of slavery into new territories and ensuring a balance of power between the North and South, the Missouri Compromise sought to minimize sectional disputes and promote a temporary peace between the opposing interests of the time.

Other options, while they may pertain to broader themes in American history, do not specifically reflect the primary goal of the Missouri Compromise. The focus was not on interstate commerce, the formation of a new political party, or land redistribution; rather, it was concentrated on the contentious issue of slavery and its implications for national unity.