Overview
This lecture examines the Kansas-Nebraska Act, its effects on the national debate over slavery, the collapse of political parties, and the rise of violence and new political movements leading up to the Civil War.
The Compromise of 1850 and Its Lull
- The Compromise of 1850 temporarily settled the issue of slavery in U.S. territories.
- Franklin Pierce, elected in 1852, did not prioritize the slavery issue, focusing instead on expansionist ideas.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Passed in 1854 to facilitate a transcontinental railroad and create Kansas and Nebraska as states.
- Stephen Douglas introduced the bill, proposing popular sovereignty to decide slavery in the new states.
- The Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, allowing slavery in areas previously designated as free soil.
- Douglas underestimated the significance of reopening the slavery debate.
Political Consequences
- The Kansas-Nebraska Act led to the collapse of the Whig Party and birth of the Republican Party, which opposed the Act.
- The Democratic Party became sectional, dominated by southern interests.
- The Act effectively ended the Second Party System (Whigs vs. Democrats).
Bleeding Kansas and Sectional Violence
- Popular sovereignty resulted in a rush of pro- and anti-slavery settlers into Kansas, leading to violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas."
- "Border ruffians" from Missouri committed election fraud to make Kansas a slave state.
- The pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution was rejected by Congress due to voting irregularities.
- Organizations like the New England Emigrant Aid Society sent anti-slavery settlers to Kansas.
- Famed incident: John Brown, a radical abolitionist, killed pro-slavery settlers at Pottawatomie Creek.
Violence in Congress
- Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist, was beaten unconscious by Representative Preston Brooks after giving a speech denouncing slavery ("Crime Against Kansas").
- The caning incident deepened sectional animosity; Sumner was seen as a northern martyr, Brooks as a southern hero.
Political Realignment and the Election of 1856
- Emergence of the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing (American) Party.
- New Republican Party ran John Fremont, replacing the Free Soil Party.
- Democrat James Buchanan won the 1856 election as the least controversial candidate.
- The status of slavery in Kansas and other western territories remained unresolved.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Popular Sovereignty — letting residents of a territory vote on slavery.
- Missouri Compromise — 1820 law banning slavery north of 36°30′ latitude.
- Kansas-Nebraska Act — 1854 law allowing popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska, repealing the Missouri Compromise.
- Bleeding Kansas — violent conflict between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas.
- Border Ruffians — pro-slavery Missourians who illegally voted in Kansas.
- Lecompton Constitution — pro-slavery constitution proposed for Kansas.
- Republican Party — new political party formed to oppose Kansas-Nebraska Act and expansion of slavery.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the causes and effects of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
- Understand the role of popular sovereignty and its consequences.
- Prepare for questions on political realignment and sectional conflict before the Civil War.