Why did the discovery of gold and the population explosion in California immediately affect political rather than economic or social issues?
A) Californians wrote both a proslavery and an antislavery state constitution.
B) The state government would have to determine if the Californio ranchers still had title to their lands.
C) Both proslavery and antislavery settlers were fighting a series of violent conflicts there.
D) Congress would have to decide if California would be a free or slave state.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The discovery of gold and the subsequent population explosion in California immediately affected political issues because it forced Congress to confront the contentious issue of whether California would enter the Union as a free or slave state, a decision with significant implications for the balance of power between free and slave states in the Senate.

Why Did the Discovery of Gold and the Population Explosion