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

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The Kansas-Nebraska Act was one of the most crucial events leading up to the Civil War. In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act created territories for both Kansas and Nebraska. This gave a chance for people to move slavery to the Midwest. This put the center of attention on Kansas, because this was going to alter the balance between the North and the South. The territory we know as Kansas was better known as “Bleeding Kansas” due to all the violent clashes between the pro- and anti-slavery parties.

The Act divided the nation and directed it towards the Civil War. The Act itself virtually nullified the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850. The turmoil over the act split both the Democrats and the Know-Nothings, and gave rise to the Republican Party, effectively splitting the United States into two major parties – the Republicans in the North and the Democrats in the South.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was introduced into the House of Representatives by Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois. He was under the belief that this would bring peace to the battle between the North and the South; however, it only made things worse. Douglas called for settlers to vote on deciding whether or not slavery would be prohibited in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska (this became known as popular sovereignty). The newly formed Republican party decided quickly to take aim of abolishing the expansion of slavery.

The reason why the territory of Kansas was the center of attention was due to its location and the impeccable timing. The location was prime for slave-owners because it was a great place to grow crops; also, it sat next another slave state, Missouri. Some people believed that slavery should just expand on ...

... middle of paper ...

...859. The Wyandotte Constitution, which stated that:

“SEC. 6. There shall be no slavery in this State, and no involuntary servitude, except for the punishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.”

was approved by an elector margin of 2-to-1. The House of Representatives easily voted to approve the bill 134 to 73. However, there were some resistance in the Senate, which slightly delayed Kansas becoming a state. On January 21, 1861, the United State Senate finally passed the bill, and Kansas became a free state on the 29th day of January, 1861.

Kansas was one of the more difficult territories to become a state, and through a lot of hard work and determination by the “Free-Staters,” Kansas became the 34th State to enter the Union. If there had been anything different, Kansas would have been completely different from the way is it today.

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