Kansas-Nebraska Act

Definition

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a pivotal piece of legislation passed in 1854 that effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to determine whether they would allow slavery within their borders through the principle of 'popular sovereignty'.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was proposed by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, who believed that allowing settlers to decide the slavery issue would help resolve the growing sectional tensions.
2. The act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide the slavery issue through popular sovereignty, rather than the federal government.
3. The act led to violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas, known as 'Bleeding Kansas', as they fought to determine the territory's status as a slave or free state.
4. The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act contributed to the rise of the Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery and the erosion of the Missouri Compromise.
5. The act's emphasis on popular sovereignty over federal control of the slavery issue was a significant factor in the growing sectional divide between the North and the South leading up to the Civil War.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Kansas-Nebraska Act was connected to the Compromise of 1850.
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act was directly connected to the Compromise of 1850, as it effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had been a key component of the Compromise of 1850. The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed settlers in those territories to decide the slavery issue through popular sovereignty, rather than having it imposed by the federal government, which had been the case under the Missouri Compromise. This shift in policy contributed to the growing sectional tensions between the North and the South, as both sides sought to influence the outcome in Kansas and Nebraska.
• Describe the role of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the rise of the Republican Party.
  • The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act was a significant factor in the emergence and growth of the Republican Party. The act's repeal of the Missouri Compromise and its emphasis on popular sovereignty over federal control of the slavery issue angered many northerners who opposed the expansion of slavery. This led to the formation of the Republican Party, which was dedicated to preventing the further spread of slavery and upholding the principles of the Missouri Compromise. The Republican Party's opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its stance on slavery helped it gain support in the North and contributed to its eventual rise as a major political force.
• Analyze how the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision contributed to the growing sectional strife leading up to the Civil War.
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision were closely linked in their impact on the growing sectional tensions between the North and the South in the years leading up to the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act's repeal of the Missouri Compromise and its reliance on popular sovereignty to determine the slavery issue in the territories exacerbated the conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, leading to the violent clashes in 'Bleeding Kansas'. The Dred Scott decision, which ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories, further inflamed the North's opposition to the expansion of slavery. Together, these two events undermined the fragile political compromises that had previously maintained the balance of power between the North and the South, contributing to the escalating sectional strife that ultimately led to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Related terms

Popular Sovereignty: The principle that allows the residents of a territory to decide for themselves whether to allow or prohibit slavery, rather than having the decision imposed by the federal government.

Missouri Compromise: A congressional agreement passed in 1820 that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30' parallel in the Louisiana Purchase territory.

Bleeding Kansas: The violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas in the 1850s, as they fought to determine the territory's status as a slave or free state.