The Compromise of 1850 was a sturdy step forward for the North in congress to stop the spread of slavery, and therefore limit the South’s power. It also exposed the true primary motive behind most of the major bills going through congress at the time: slavery. Tensions in Congress rose quickly due to the separation of power between the North and South becoming more apparent. The Sumner-Brooks incident in 1856, sparked by Charles Sumner’s verbal attacks on Southern Senator Brooks, which resulted in Sumner getting beat with a cane on the Senate floor, showed just how divided the North and the South were in