Akey element of the compromise of 1850 was

The Compromise of 1850 was an effort to preserve the balance between slave states and free states and keep the union together in the United States.

Explanation:

The Compromise of 1850 was passed after an attempt to have all new territories be non-slave states.  In 1846, Congressman David Wilmot of Pennsylvania introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill, stipulating  that any territory gained from Mexico (after winning war vs. Mexico) would be free, not allowing slavery.  [Don't think of Wilmot as an abolitionist, though.  He wanted new territories to be free of blacks, preferring whites-only territories.]   Wilmot's amendment passed in the House of Representatives, but was unable to get approval in the Senate.  The Compromise of 1850, a package of five bills passed by Congress in September of that year, sought to accommodate some of the issues both South and North were debating  during those years.  The balance between slave states and free states continued to be an issue.

answer: c  

the factory goes out of business, causing the workers to lose their jobs.

explanation: