The Compromise of 1850 was a series of legislative measures aimed at easing tensions between the northern and southern states in the United States over the issue of slavery. It included five key provisions: California was admitted as a free state, while the territories of New Mexico and Utah were allowed to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty. Additionally, the compromise strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act, which required citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves, and abolished the slave trade in the District of Columbia. This compromise was an attempt to maintain a balance between free and slave states but ultimately failed to resolve the underlying conflicts.