The Role of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the Start of the Civil War

After the bill was passed, pro-slavery and anti-slavery supporters rushed in to settle in Kansas to affect the outcome of the first election. Pro-slavery settlers won the election, but were charged with fraud by anti-slavery settlers. The anti-slavery settlers held another election, but the pro-slavery settlers refused to vote. This resulted in two opposing legislatures within the Kansas territory. The opposition created violence between the two groups, causing many bloody battles that greatly increased the death rate, giving Kansas the nickname “Bleeding Kansas”. President Pierce, supporting pro-slavery, sent in Federal troops to stop the violence and disperse the anti-slavery legislature. Another election was held and pro-slavery supporters won. They were again charged with election fraud. As a result, Congress did not recognize the constitution the pro-slavery settlers adopted, and Kansas wasn’t allowed to become a state. Eventually,

The Kansas and Nebraska Act was also a major cause of political conflicts. It pressured popular sovereignty over those new territories. Kansas, according to the Northerners, was being pressured into becoming a slave state by having acts of violence be done against them. As well, people from Missouri were going into Kansas and using their power to vote for it as a slave state, and the North

Nebraska was so far north that its future as a free state was never in question. But Kansas was next to the slave state of Missouri. In an era that would come to be known as "Bleeding Kansas," the territory would become a battleground over the slavery question.

There was conflict in the Kansas Nebraska territories due to slavery. Opposing governments were made in 1855, one government was pro slavery the other was anti slavery. These two parties clashed over slavery. Pro slavery people shipped goods and supplies into the Kansas territory trying to help their side win the conflict.("Bleeding Kansas"). In the following months new leaders were appointed to both sides of the government. The fighting got to the point where federal troops

It was now that slavery became mixed up with state rights and just how much power a state had compared to federal authority. The key issue was whether slavery would be allowed in the newly created states that had joined the Union. The development of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 in Kansas was purchased by the federal government. Kansas was officially opened to settlement in 1854 and there was a rush to settle in the state between those who supported slavery and those who opposed it. The state became a place of violence between the north and south and that’s how Kansas got the nickname ‘Bleeding Kansas’ in recognition of what was going on there. However, on January 29th 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union as a slave-free state. Many in the

This meant that there was a possibility of there being slavery in the new territories based on the decision of the people in those territories. This would allow for the spread of slavery which in turn would expand the slave trade helping slaveholders in the South. Popular sovereignty increased sectionalism instead of reducing it. In Kansas, the vote for slavery was bombarded by people who did not live in the state causing an incorrect evaluation of what the people wanted. This led to the creation of a second illegal government and fighting between the two different governments. This fight was so bad that Kansas became known as "Bleeding Kansas".

Kansas-Nebraska Act – divided one territory into two to keep the slave balance equal; it immediately destroyed the Whig party, divided the democrats, and parties who opposed the bill came to form the Republican Party

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.

battled in the “Bleeding Kansas” conflict over whether the territory would be a free state or slave state. After the debate

The Kansas-Nebraska act (1854) was a U.S. law that authorized the creation of Kansas and Nebraska, west of the states of Missouri and Iowa and divided by the 40th parallel. It repealed a provision of the Missouri compromise of 1820 that prohibited slavery in the territories north of 36 degrees and 30' and stipulated that the inhabitant of the territories should decide for themselves the legality of slave holding. Democratic senator of Illinois Stephen A. Douglas pushed the Kansas-Nebraska bill.

Bleeding Kansas was a series of conflicts between anti slavery people and pro slavery people. Bleeding Kansas started when they needed to decide if Kansas would be with the North or South and they did this by voting. Since there wasn’t many good records of who was a citizen in this time many people from

In the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Stephen Douglass wanted to expand land west, so that he could make the transcontinental railroad. He proposed a bill that made the western land Kansas and Nebraska. These two territories would likely become free states because they were above the 36 degrees 30’ line. Since he wanted the railroad system, he needed to souths support, but they would not want to have Kansas and Nebraska enter the Union as free states, because it would upset the balance of free and slave states. Then Stephen Douglass wanted to abandon the Missouri Compromise and

When Kansas was split and Nebraska was created, popularity sovereignty was declared in both states. Pro-slavery Missourians “poured into the territories” to claim this “up-for-grabs” state as theirs, making the state a slave state (Lost Museum). By the time Missourians arrived, the anti-slavery forces that had arrived outnumbered them and claimed Kansas as a free state. Slavery supporters used weapons and violence to make their opinions and voices heard. When Abolitionists like John Brown heard about this, they quickly traveled to Kansas to see if they could help. Brown responded to these acts of violence by executing the Pottawatomie Massacre of 1856. Brown and some of his supporters dragged five men, who were for slavery, out of their homes and

Stephen Douglass and Illinois Senator passed a law to make Nebraska a official territory. Everyone one knew that it would be a free state so naturally the South was against to make Nebraska a free state. Nebraska was very attractive for farmers because it was flat. Stephen Douglass kept on pushing to make Nebraska a state because he wanted to make railroads over there. Right away South said no, it can’t be a state. Douglass kept on pushing and pushing and at last they came with a solution called the Kansas Nebraska Act which was that they will split the territory the south side will be the slave side and the North side will be the North’s. The people in the North absolutely hated the act, they thought that it was unfair. Popular sovereignty was the South’s idea but now they were going against it. A lot of people started moving to Kansas for the election of Kansas, this was called Bleeding Kansas. Kansas got divided in half. One side was pro slavery and the other was anti-slavery. Both sides were killing each other. A lot of voting fraud happened during this but at last Nebraska became a free state, the South was furious about this. I believe my theory is correct because the Civil War wouldn’t have happened if these events had not taken place A lot of

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.