What+caused+the+Civil+War?++JZ

Leading up to the 1850s, there was an uneasy balance in the country, both politically and morally. The North and the South both had an equal voice in the Senate, with each side having fifteen states to check the power of the other. While the land gained in the Mexican Cession was highly beneficial to the expansion of the nation and manifest destiny, it would also bring about a new question- would slavery be allowed in the new territories? The Compromise of 1850 would undo the equilibrium of the Senate and thus lead to a shift in power slanted towards the North, one that would cause more sectionalism dividing the nation and leading the country into the Civil War. Accepting California into the Union as a free state would bring about a shift of power. The South would no longer have equal control in any section of the government while they were already clamoring for secession. The secession convention held in Nashville brought the South dangerously close to separating away much earlier than they actually did, which would've not allowed as much time for the North to gain strong economic holds. When the Compromise of 1850 was put into effect, outrage erupted in the North and the South. The North was thrilled that they finally had more power in Congress than the South did, but were absolutely furious about the new Fugitive Slave Law and refused to follow the Law. The South was outraged that California tipped the scales toward the free side and was livid that the Northern states completely and blatantly defied the Fugitive Slave Act. The North was not secretive at all about their feelings toward this man-stealing statute. A meeting presided over by William Lloyd Garrison in 1851 declared, "We execrate it, we spit upon it, we trample it under our feet." The actual fighting of the Civil War was still some years to come. However, the point of no return was the Compromise of 1850. The two sections of the nation were too polarized to continue just putting bandages on the wounds rather than actually fixing the underlying problems themselves. No solution would come until blood was shed and an outright war was fought.