Final answer:
Nationalists in the North and South had strong, opposing views, which made them skeptical of any attempts at reconciling their differences. They interpreted each other's actions through the lens of their extreme suspicions, with the North believing in a slave power conspiracy and the South perceiving abolitionist moves against slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nationalists on both sides of the North-South divide had extreme views of each other, with Northerners suspecting a slave power conspiracy, and Southerners fearing an influential abolitionist agenda. The idea of compromise seemed distant, with few people adopting these radical stances, yet spokespersons from both regions felt the urge to defend their beliefs and criticize the opposing side. The efforts to promote federal measures to stabilize the economy post-panic, for example, were interpreted by the South as an antislavery push, while the North saw it as a defense against the slave power.
Amidst these mounting tensions and distrust over President Johnson's reconstruction measures, the notion of an irrepressible conflict, as highlighted by William H. Seward, suggested that a critical decision needed to be made about the future of the nation regarding slavery.