Will mark ! why did the compromise that altered the boundaries of free and slave states as shown in the map above fail to resolve conflicts before the civil war? a. california was admitted to the union as a free state, upsetting the balance of free and slave states. b. the compromise called for the distribution of land in the western territories to newly emancipated slaves. c. texas decided to become a free state, leaving the other southern states vulnerable to attack from free states in the west. d. the compromise provided temporary solutions but did not establish firm provisions for balancing the admission of free and slave states.