What was a goal of the Missouri Compromise?

A.

returning fugitive slaves

B.

preventing slavery in the cities

C.

keeping an equal number of slave states and free states

D.

letting each territory decide whether to allow slavery

Answer: The purpose of the Missouri Compromise was to keep a balance between the number of slave states and the number of free states in the Union. It allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state at the same time Maine entered as a free state, thus maintaining a balance in numbers of free and slave states.