What problem did request for statehood cause?

The main problem that the request for statehood caused was the issue of slavery. Missouri was a slave state, while Maine was a free state. If both Missouri and Maine were admitted to the Union as states, it would upset the balance of power between slave states and free states in the Senate. This led to a fierce debate in Congress, known as the Missouri Compromise, which eventually resulted in the admission of both Missouri and Maine to the Union as states, but with restrictions on the expansion of slavery into new territories.