How did the Missouri compromise keep the peace in the US?

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 aimed to maintain a balance between free and slave states by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It established the 36°30' parallel as the dividing line for future states, allowing slavery in territories south of the line and prohibiting it in the north. This compromise temporarily alleviated tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, helping to maintain peace in a divided nation. However, it ultimately only delayed the conflict over slavery, which would resurface more intensely in subsequent decades.