KANSAS NEBRASKA ACT MAY 1854 KANSAS NEBRASKA ACT U.S GOV'T LEGISLATIVE ABOLITION POLITICAL PARTIES AFRICAN AMERICANS U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION SENATOR STEPHEN DOUGLAS INTRODUCED THE KANSAS NEBRASKA ACT TO ADMIT THE TERRITORIES OF KANSAS AND NEBRASKA AS STATES AND ALLOW POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY TO DECIDE THE SLAVERY ISSUE IN THESE STATES THE CITIZENS OF KANSAS AND NEBRASKA WOULD VOTE ON WHETHER TO ALLOW SLAVERY IN THEIR STATE DOUGLAS THOUGHT THE ACT WOULD BE LESS CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WOULD BE STAYING OUT OF THE SLAVERY ISSUE HOWEVER THE KANSAS NEBRASKA ACT BASICALLY REPEALED THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE BOTH KANSAS AND NEBRASKA WERE NORTH OF THE LINE DESIGNATED AS THE NORTHERNMOST BOUNDARY FOR NEW SLAVE STATES MANY OF DOUGLAS'S FELLOW DEMOCRATS WERE ANGRY AND REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE ACT THEY WROTE AN APPEAL TO CONVINCE OTHER SENATORS NOT TO PASS THE ACT THEIR EFFORTS FAILED AND THE KANSAS NEBRASKA ACT WAS PASSED IN MAY 1854 UPROAR OVER THE ACT LED TO A CIVIL WAR IN KANSAS BETWEEN PRO SLAVERY AND ANTISLAVERY GROUPS AS A RESULT OF THE FIGHTING THE STATE BECAME KNOWN AS BLEEDING KANSAS DISSATISFACTION OVER THE KANSAS NEBRASKA ACT ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THE CREATION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY A NEW POLITICAL PARTY DEVOTED TO STOPPING THE SPREAD OF SLAVERY
