Final answer:
After 1850, escalating tensions between the North and South over slavery, political conflicts, and economic issues, such as the Panic of 1857, deepened sectional divides and set the stage for the Civil War.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tensions between the North and South increased after 1850 due to differing views on the extension of slavery into new territories, political conflicts, and economic pressures. The Compromise of 1850, while temporarily resolving the status of California, actually exacerbated sectional animosities. For the North, the spread of slavery threatened the principles of free labor, while the South saw the expansion of slavery as essential to maintain their way of life.
Key events, including the Fugitive Slave Act, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott decision, drove the regions further apart. Radical perceptions, such as the belief in a vast slave power conspiracy and an influential abolitionist movement, intensified the debate. The financial instability caused by the Panic of 1857 also heightened the strife, leading to economic distress, especially in the North. Ultimately, these mounting tensions contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.