The main issue addressed by the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was the balance of power between slave and free states in the U.S. Congress. As Missouri sought admission to the Union as a slave state, it raised concerns about upsetting the delicate balance that existed: 11 free states and 11 slave states. To resolve this, the compromise allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state while simultaneously admitting Maine as a free state, maintaining the equilibrium. Furthermore, it established a line (36°30′ latitude) across the Louisiana Territory, dictating that any territory north of this line, except Missouri, would be free. This compromise was a temporary solution to the growing sectional tensions over slavery.