The Kansas-Nebraska act was passed by the U.S. Congress on May 30, 1854. It was introduced by Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. It enabled people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide if they wanted slavery or not in their borders. The act helped to reverse the Missouri Compromise of 1820 (My Notes). Which banned slavery north of 36°30’ N latitude, the line that limited slavery (http://www.history.com/topics/kansas-nebraska-act). Douglas called this “popular sovereignty.” “Before the law they would not have been free, giving the free states more votes in the Senate and angering the South,” (Discovering our Pasts;The History of the United States Early Years, P.431). In 1855, a pro-slavery government was elected in Kansas. …show more content…
All though only 1500 people lived in Kansas, 6,000 votes were cast. The pro-slavery group won. Kansas authorise laws supporting slavery. Slavery opponents did not accept the laws. They equip themselves, held their own elections, and support a constitution banning slavery. By January 1856, Kansas had two new opponents in government. All of these events link up to the birth of the Republican Party because the disagreement over the Kansas-Nebraska Act caused the old Whig Party to break up which caused the Republican Party to form. After the party proslavery southerners attacked the abolitionists and refused to let them vote which started the abolitionists to revolt which also created the republican …show more content…
It was formed by Northern Whigs and Democrats in 1854 (Mr.Adreons notes). In its first year it was controlling the House of Representatives and several other state governments. By 1860, it controlled the presidency (Mr.Adreons notes). The Republicans swiftly gained supporters by the North. In 1856 their first presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, won eleven out of sixteen Northern States. By 1860, the majority of Southern states that supported slavery were publicly threatening secession if the Republicans won the election. In November 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln over a divided Democratic Party. Six weeks later, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Within six more weeks, five other southern states had copied South Carolina’s lead (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/republican-party-founded.) In extension to forming states governments, the American people had to form a national government. People agreed the new country should be republic, a government in which the people rule through elected representatives. They disagreed, however on what powers the new republic’s government should have. At first, most Americans wanted a weak central government only to wage war and handle relations with other countries. The birth of the Republican Party caused Abraham Lincoln to challenge Stephen Douglas to debates. If it was not for the Republican Party Abraham Lincoln would have never debated Stephen
The Democratic Party was sectionally shattered by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, but it also gave birth to the Republicans. Ultimately, the Kansas-Nebraska Act would lead to a sectional rift in the country that would prove too deep to patch up without war. During the year of 1855, Governor Andrew Reeder called for an election for a legislature for the state o Kansas. He carefully planned out the election to make it fair by appointed two Free Soilers and one proslavery judges and several supervisors.
It also gave the South another slave state in Missouri and the north a free state in Maine. Although each region gained a state in the Senate, the south benefited most from the acquisition because Missouri was in such a pivotal position in the country, right on the border. Later on with the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, Missouri had a big role in getting Kansas to vote south because many proslavery Missourians crossed the border into Kansas to vote slavery. The Missouri Compromise also helped slavery because the line that was formed to limit slavery had more land below the line than above it. Therefore, slavery was given more land to be slave and therefore more power in the Senate, when the territories became state.
The Jeffersonian-Republicans (also known as the Democratic-Republicans) were opposed to the Federalists from before 1801-1817. Leaders Thomas Jefferson and James Madison created the party in order to oppose the economic and foreign policies of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Party. The Democratic-Republicans supported the French, whereas the Federalists supported the British. Each party had its set of views. The Federalists supported a loose interpretation of the Constitution, a strong central government, high tariffs, a navy, military spending, a national debt, and a national bank (all ideas of the Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton). The Democratic-Republicans opposed all of the said ideas and fought for states' rights and the citizens to govern the nation. Originally, each of these parties stuck to their own views and ideas, but eventually would accept eachother's views and use them as their own.
Between 1800 and 1860 slavery in the American South had become a ‘peculiar institution’ during these times. Although it may have seemed that the worst was over when it came to slavery, it had just begun. The time gap within 1800 and 1860 had slavery at an all time high from what it looks like. As soon as the cotton production had become a long staple trade source it gave more reason for slavery to exist. Varieties of slavery were instituted as well, especially once international slave trading was banned in America after 1808, they had to think of a way to keep it going – which they did. Nonetheless, slavery in the American South had never declined; it may have just come to a halt for a long while, but during this time between 1800 and 1860, it shows it could have been at an all time high.
The original version of the Constitution is a result of a series of compromises made to achieve a document that would be voted by the majority of the newly emerged states. Slavery was a very sensitive issue, as it was widely common on the continent.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a great victory for the south. The greatest benefit to the south was the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, which established the sacred 36-30 line. If the Missouri Compromise had stayed in place, there would have been no more possibility for the expansion of slavery, since there was no land left south of the 36-30 line; under the Missouri Compromise southern expansion was hampered by the existence of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of the line being repealed, it was possible for slavery to exist in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska because of popular sovereignty.
In the 1790s, soon after the ratification of the Constitution, political parties were nonexistent in the USA because President Washington feared they would drive the country apart. However, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, with their rivalling mental models, could not help but spark the division of the United States into the Democratic-Republican and Federalist parties. These parties, the Democratic-Republican wanting a small, local government system and the Federalist wanting a strong, powerful government system, turned citizens against one another and eventually led to the inimical Democratic and Republican parties of today. Hence, the formation of the original political parties in the United States is very significant. Political
In 1819, Alabama was admitted to the United States as a slave state, which made the number of representatives in the United States Senate for free states and slave states equal. Then, in 1820, both Missouri and Maine wanted to be admitted to the United States and there was a debate as to if either of the states would be slave states. Maine was admitted as a free state, and Missouri was admitted as a state without restrictions on slavery. Instead of Missouri being a free state, it was decided that all the land in the Louisiana Purchase that was north of 36°30’N latitude, slavery would be prohibited. This provision was held until 1854, when the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed it.
Stephen A. Douglas, an American Politician, wanting to appeal to his supporters, decided to create a northern transcontinental railroad route cutting through the territory of Illinois. However, there was one issue with this plan: the railroad with which it needed to cross through needed to be organized as a state. In attempt to gain the support of the South, Douglas combined the Kansas and Nebraska states where popular sovereignty would be practiced. This meant that instead of the state allowing or disallowing slavery, the people would decide whether slavery should be practiced. This act, known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, directly violated the Compromise of 1820, which stated that new states created above latitude 36°30’ would have to be free.
Some versions were proslavery, others free state. Finally, a fourth convention met at Wyandotte in July 1859, and adopted a free state constitution. Kansas applied for admittance to the Union. However, the proslavery forces in the Senate strongly opposed its free state status, and stalled its admission. Only in 1861, after the Confederate states seceded, did the constitution gain approval and Kansas become a state.
The Southern states and Northern democrats heavily supported slavery, whereas many Republicans opposed it; so when a Republican by the name of Abraham Lincoln took office as President in 1860,
Tempers raged and arguments started because of the Missouri Compromise. The simple act caused many fatal events because of what was changed within the United States. It may not seem like a big thing now, but before slavery had been abolished, the topic of slavery was an idea that could set off fights. The Missouri Compromise all started in late in 1819 when the Missouri Territory applied to the Union to become a slave state. The problem Congress had with accepting Missouri as a slave state was the new uneven count of free states and slave states. With proslavery states and antislavery states already getting into arguments, having a dominant number of either slave or free states would just ignite the flame even more. Many representatives from the north, such as James Tallmadge of New York, had already tried to pass another amendment that would abolish slavery everywhere. Along with other tries to eliminate slavery, his effort was soon shot down. The fact that people couldn’t agree on whether or not slavery should be legalized made trying to compose and pass a law nearly impossible.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was one of the first events that demonstrated Lincoln’s disapproval yet tolerance for slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, proposed by Stephen A. Douglas and signed by Franklin Pierce, divided the region into two territories. The territory north of the 40th parallel was the Kansas Territory and the south of the 40th parallel was the Nebraska Territory, the controv...
Slavery is the ownership of another person. Slavery is now considered inhumane. And slavery was the issue during the time of Bleeding Kansas. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was made to allow each territory to decide for themselves on the concern of slavery by using popular sovereignty. Even though the idea of popular sovereignty was fair, many proslavery men crossed the borders of Kansas and voted illegally, trying to change the result. Kansas' government was changed too. Also, violence broke out several times during Bleeding Kansas. Yet, after all of the violence, Kansas' issue with slavery would finally be decided on. From 1854 to 1861, Kansas voters decided whether its state entered the Union as a free or slave state; however, this resulted into violence across the state.
In 1856 Lincoln joined the republican party. In 1857 the supreme court declared African Americans were not citizens. In 1860 Lincoln ran for president and one. Lincoln's nomination was due to his view on slavery. In 1891 7 Southern States had seceded from the union because Lincoln's view on slavery.