The Compromise of 1850 sought to settle the question of whether newly acquired territory from Mexico would allow slavery. Consider the maps in the Compromise of 1850 section. California was admitted into the nation as a slave-free state. The Utah and New Mexico territories would allow slavery and would later be able to vote on the slavery issue themselves. Why could Southern politicians be considered over-optimistic in accepting this deal? What might they have been hoping for in the future if they supported the spread of slavery?