Apush Dbq Research Paper

He was a strong believer in popular sovereignity. Since he felt so strongly about it, he agreed that popular sovereignity would decide whether or not Kansas and Nebraska would be free states or slave states. This decision caused a huge disagreement between the North and South because this would allow slavery north of the Mason-Dixon dividing line created in the Missouri Compromise. The president at the time, Franklin Pierce, supported Douglas’ bill and passed it on May 30th, 1854.

In 1954, the Kansas- Nebraska Act was passed. Northern Democrat Steven Douglass in an attempt to build a transcontinental railroad petitioned the Kansas-Nebraska act on the bases that the Compromise of 1850 validated popular sovereignty. In Douglass’s opinion the Compromise of 1850 made the Missouri Compromise of 1820 void. There was opposition from Northern politicians who believed that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was a sacred pact made by previous lawmakers during the union’s long history of compromises. For Southern politicians the Kansas- Nebraska Act would help the extension of slavery which most of the Northerners were against. Ignoring the wishes of the Northerners and pushing the Democratic agenda which wanted not only the

During the year 1820, the Missouri Compromise was established in the USA. Missouri was a slave state to start with but the North wanted to push it towards a free state. Although the North outnumbered the South in population and in the House of Representatives (105-81), and the ratio between states were 11:11, no new legislation could be made. If the state of Missouri became a free state, the ratio between free states and slave states would be 12:10 which would mean that the North could pass any legislation without fear of it being blocked. Vice versa with the South because it would give the South more political power. There was much controversy surrounding this issue and someone had to try and fix it. The man who first try and fix the problem was James Tallmadge who wanted to get rid of slavery in Missouri which outraged the South into blocking it. A man named Henry Clay proposed that Missouri would be a slave-holding state, Maine would now be a free state (23 state added), and there would be no slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of latitude 36°30'

In 1854 another problem arose which resulted in Congress passing the Kansas-Nebraska Act which repealed the Missouri Compromise, this act was introduced by Stephen A. Douglas a chairman of Committee on Territories, this act allowed the people of Kansas and Nebraska to choose rather they wanted slavery in their boundary or not through the power of popular sovereignty, the Pro-slavery settlers won the election but were charged with accusations that they cheated, in order to make sure that the vote was right they ordered a re-election but the Pro-slavery refused and the refusal resulted into a battle. John Brown an Anti-slavery leader who believed that he was sent here by god to kill anyone who was pro-slavery. He led the anti-slavery force which gained the nickname “Bleeding Kansas”. The fight was soon stopped, and a final election was held, this time the anti-slavery settlers won the vote and was announced that Kansas would become a free state in 1861. In conclusion the Compromises and Acts may have had their flaws but it they some how manage to solve the slavery issues.

A leading example of the struggles of slavery in the western states was the struggle over slavery in Kansas. Document F depicts a political cartoon basically stating that Stephen Douglas, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan all attempted intentionally or unintentionally to spread slavery to the West. Stephen Douglas proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in which the Midwest Nebraska territory would be divided into two states Kansas and Nebraska and the issue of slavery would be determined by in state vote known as "popular sovereignty". Franklin Pierce aided with the signing of the bill. The results upon this bill was harsh fighting between pro-slavery supporters and non-slavery supporters in Kansas over this issue. It also led to the non-reelection of Pierce and the end to the Whig party, along with the introduction of the sectional Republican party, who opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. An attempt at forcing slavery into

The Missouri Compromise was an act passed by Congress to ease, if not eliminate the tensions between North and South in terms of expanding slavery in the western territories. A line was drawn to indicate areas of freedom and/or slavery. This compromise created an equal balance of southern and free states in America. Peace was maintained for thirty-four years, until the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed. This act completely disregarded the Missouri Compromise as it allowed slavery based on popular sovereignty above the Missouri line.

This required territories being created, which led to argument regarding “whether the territories would be a slave or free area”(Kansas-Nebraska Act). Senator Stephen Douglas initially intended to organize the Louisiana Purchase land as the Nebraska Territory. However, according to the Missouri Compromise, the area would consist of free states. This would turn the Southern votes against the bill, which then wouldn’t pass Congress. Therefore, Douglas wrote a new bill, known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

“Missouri would be admitted to the Union as a slave state, and Maine would be admitted as a free state, thereby maintaining the balance between slave and free states.” The Missouri Compromise held its promises which lasted for some decades until later on it become upended. Senator Stephen A. Douglas sponsored the Nebraska-Act which was to help build a railroad through Nebraska and Kansas which would enter the union as a free state. Later on Douglas went on to chose “popular sovereignty” which lead people to decide on which were slave or

Henry Clay introduced the Compromise of 1850 and the Missouri Compromise in hopes of keeping the nation together. The Compromise of 1850 made it easier for Southerners to acquire their runaway slaves. At the time of this speech, Southern states didn’t overly make-known their stance on slavery. In his speech addressing the senate, Henry Clay said that “it is impossible that South Carolina ever desired for a moment to become a separate and independent state.” (A)

By 1854 the Missouri Organization was overdue along with other states. As the falling out of slaves was becoming very common in certain territories which further complicated this issue, along with the location of the projected Transcontinental Railroad. This Missouri Compromise was the third debate on slavery in that certain area since 1789. The Kansas Nebraska, in 1854, was very contradicted to the 1820 resolution to slavery, although the new compromise became known as one of the major elements that led to the Civil war. This Compromise was created by Stephen A. Douglas who was a chairman of the Senate committee on territories. After three months of debate in congress, Douglas, who was supported by President Pierce and the southerners, saw it adopted. This bill that was reported in Jan, 1852 stated that slavery should be left to the territorial settlers themselves, in its final bill provided the creation of two new territories Kansas and Nebraska- instead of the one. The First state would be for slavery, second would be a free state. The result was it created more of a sectional division, it also created a new Political Organization, this is what propelled to the civil war.

“We have the wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other.” In his letter to Senator Holmes, Thomas Jefferson discusses how the original 1780s compromise on the issue of slavery has led to the current continued debate of the Missouri Compromise of 1820. He expresses his fear that attempting to end slavery and its spread throughout the country, though the proper course, will lead to the destruction of the nation. Continued debate and antagonism over this issue led ultimately to the violence in Kansas and the start of the Civil War forty years later. When the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed in 1854, settlers from the North and South rushed to the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska to secure them as either free or slave states.

The problem was that California wanted to join the United States as a state, but half of California was right in the middle of the 36'30 latitude line. Would California become a free state, a slave state, or even both? Henry Clay came up with a compromise to solve this problem, his idea had 4 parts to it. California would become a free state, New Mexico and Utah territories would be created and slavery would be determined by popular sovereignty (the people in that territory would vote if they wanted slavery or not), it outlawed slave trade in Washington DC, and a stricter Fugitive Slave Act would be passed. The South liked that a stricter Fugitive Act would be passed, which stated that it would be a crime to help runaway slaves, New Mexico and Utah territories would be created, as well.

Bleeding Kansas-During the settling of the Kansas territory the period of violence between anti-slavery settlers and pro slavery settlers was called “Bleeding Kansas”. John Brown was the leader of the anti-slavery party and he would kill people for the cause such as his planned raid on Harpers Ferry. He was one of the first non-African Americans to put his life on line for the cause of removing slavery

The creator of the act was Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, who wanted to see citizens be able to settle in these territories. Underlying it all, Douglas’s real desire was to build a transcontinental railroad to go through Chicago. Although opposition was intense, The Kansas-Nebraska Act was finally passed by congress on May 30, 1854. It allowed settlers in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether slavery would be legal or not within their borders based on popular sovereignty. Territory north of the 36°30' parallel was now open to popular sovereignty as Northern leaders’ moods grew darker than the midnight sky. This sudden change in affairs largely contributed to the humongous political change that was about to happen next.

Stephen Douglas entered politics as a strong Jacksonian Nationalist that supported the Union. Douglas joined the Democratic Party and quickly elevated his political position. One of his achievements occurred when he assisted Henry Clay in passing the Missouri Compromise of 1850. After four years and continuous rise in political standing, Douglas devised the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. The Bill opened further territory in the West for expansion. Able to benefit from expanding railroad transportation, he devised the Bill in a way that promoted Popular Sovereignty. He argued that slavery should be decided by local territory or state, and congress did not possess the right to mandate what is right for individual states. Within the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, his Popular Sovereignty allowed the new territories that lay