The primary issue of the Compromise of 1850 was the debate over the expansion of slavery into the newly acquired territories following the Mexican-American War. The compromise aimed to balance the interests of slave and free states by proposing several key measures, including admitting California as a free state, but allowing the territories of New Mexico and Utah to decide the slavery issue through popular sovereignty. Additionally, it included the strengthening of the Fugitive Slave Act, which required citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves. This compromise attempted to ease tensions but ultimately failed to resolve the deep-seated divisions within the nation.