The “Little Giant” Stephen A. Douglas believed strongly that popular sovereignty would help solve the seemingly never-ending tensions between the North and South. Unfortunately, his faith in the idea only created a sharper division that led to bloody conflicts and the Civil War in 1861.
With the implementation of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, Douglas had made it possible to expand slavery to the West, where it was initially banned. He angered Abolitionists, inspired the creation of the Republican Party, and split apart his own Democratic Party—all with one decision. This course of action would lead to his eventual loss of the Presidency to Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
Fig. 1: Stephen A. Douglas.
What led to the creation of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
In 1849, California struck gold and proceeded to request its entry into the Federation. However, it was quickly realized California’s entry as a free state would disrupt the balance between slave and free states. To prevent this fray, Henry Clay and Stephen A. Douglas drafted “The Compromise of 1850.” The compromise stated that California would enter the Union as a free state, while the remaining territories gained from the Mexican-American War would follow Douglas’ “popular sovereignty,” and decide for themselves whether or not to permit slavery.
The compromise also included the “Fugitive Slave Act” to gain more Southern support; this stated that runaway slaves were allowed to be captured and returned to their home state upon being caught. There were also penalties set in place for those who aided in a slave’s escape.
Logistics and communications also played an important role in bringing about the union of the states. Stephen A. Douglas’ favor for the Transcontinental Railroad grew throughout his political career. The railroad would run through Northern territory, including the new territory of Nebraska, which was above the Louisiana Purchase 36º30' line. This route would provide faster and more reliable transportation across the country, following the routes created by covered wagons exploring the West.
To create the railroad, the territory of Nebraska would need to be organized, as the territory was still inhabited and mainly controlled by native Americans. Slaveholders, along with their allies in Congress, were heavily opposed to the organizing of Nebraska as it was a territory that would be added to the Union without any say from the Southern states. The railroad running through the North, from East to West, would leave out Southern cities from the route while also setting the country out of balance between slave and free states. To successfully implement and build the railroad, Stephen A. Douglas needed to come up with a compromise that also appealed to the South.
The Missouri Compromise of 1821 outlawed slavery in all remaining Louisiana Purchase territories North or West of the 36º30' parallel. With both Kansas and Nebraska laying above the line and West of Missouri, a compromise had to be reached to keep the federation's equilibrium.
Fig. 2: Henry Clay
Creation and Implementation of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Once again, with Henry Clay's help, Douglas introduced the “Kansas-Nebraska Act” after multiple failed attempts to achieve an agreement. This act created two new territories instead of one: Kansas and Nebraska. The amendment disregarded the Missouri Compromise of 1821 by replacing it with Douglas’ concept of popular sovereignty. Nebraska would be a free state; however, it would be up to the new settlers of Kansas to decide whether or not to permit slavery within its borders.
Though there was an intense backlash from both Northerners and Southerners, President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act into law on May 30, 1854. The remaining Native Americans who lived in these territories were forced to sign treaties and move South onto reservations in the state now known as Oklahoma. As both slaveholders and "Free Soilers" flooded into Kansas seeking control, the act kick-started violence and conflicts within the state.
Each group was desperately fighting for dominance in the new territory. The South wanted control of the territory to expand the reach of slavery, and the North wished to follow the Missouri Compromise and keep them free – as it should have been without question. This bloody period became known as “Bleeding Kansas.”
Fig. 3: Kansas-Nebraska Act Map
Kansas-Nebraska Act: A Summary of Events
Upon the first territorial election in Kansas in 1854, abolitionists from New England formed the group “Emigrant Aid Company” to ensure that Kansas would be a free state. However, thousands of pro-slavery Missourians went into Kansas to cast illegal votes to elect a pro-slavery delegate to Congress. The pro-slavery candidate, John Whitfield, won, with only half of the votes being cast legally.
Again in March of 1855, during the voting for the State Legislature, pro-slavery members used violence and intimidation to implement a pro-slavery policy. Naturally, Northerners and anti-slavery supporters denied this ruling and attempted to fight for a change, though according to President Franklin Pierce, the pro-slavery legislation was viewed as valid.
In 1856, pro-slavery forces suppressed a Free State meeting being held in Topeka, Kansas. In retaliation to this, in 1857, Free-Soilers boycotted a pro-slavery Constitutional Convention in Lecompton. These actions led President James Buchanan to push Congress into accepting the Lecompton Constitution but faced a strong backlash from the “Little Giant” Douglas and other popular sovereignty supporters. Luckily, the Lecompton Constitution was sent back to Kansas in order to be voted on a second time. In 1858, Free Soilers were able to vote, and the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution was rejected.
“Bleeding Kansas” was also a time when one of the country's most famous Abolitionists would be active. His name was John Brown. Brown was a harsh Abolitionist who was not afraid of retaliation. After the pro-slavery Sack of Lawrence in 1856, Brown led his sons on a march through the Pottawatomie Valley, dragging five pro-slavery men out of their homes and brutally killing them by the Pottawatomie Creek.
Upon John Brown's execution for his failed incursion, now known as the Raid of Harper's Ferry, he became a martyr for the abolitionist cause in the United States.
Political repercussions and significance of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Debates over the Kansas-Nebraska Act split apart the Whig Party and Stephen Douglas’ own Democratic Party across their sectional lines; Northern Democrats were in favor of slavery being kept only in the South, while Southern Democrats were in favor of its possible expansion Westward.
The chaos among its ranks produced violence even in Congress. On the Senate floor in 1856, pro-slavery Senator Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with his cane.
The intense opposition to the Act also inspired the formation of the Republican Party, which would soon become the country’s leading anti-slavery party. The new party also brought Abraham Lincoln back into the political spotlight, with his famous debates against Stephen Douglas taking place in 1858. Although Lincoln unsuccessfully challenged Douglas for the Senate seat of Illinois, he stood victorious in the Presidential election of 1860.
Stephen Douglas wished to heal the tensions within the Union through the idea of popular sovereignty, ironically driving the divide even deeper. This political climate brewed the perfect foundation for the beginning of the Civil War in 1861.
Kansas-Nebraska Act - Key Takeaways
The inclusion of California into the Union as a free state would have disrupted the balance between slave and free states. Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas contrive a compromise that satisfied both the North and the South: “The Compromise of 1850.”
The Compromise of 1850 angered Abolitionists because it included the “Fugitive Slave Act,” an act in which it was the duty of the people to catch and return slaves to the state they had fled. There were serious consequences to anyone who was found aiding or hiding runaway slaves.
Stephen Douglas was in favor of the Transcontinental Railroad, which would run through the new northern territory of Nebraska. To keep the balance between slave and free states, he drafted the “Kansas-Nebraska Act.”
Despite enraging Abolitionists and Free Soilers once again, the act was signed into law by President Franklin Pierce in 1854.
This anger led to violent conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas, leading to what is known as “Bleeding Kansas.”
The Kansas-Nebraska Act split the Whig Party and the Democratic Party; the outcome was the formation of the Republican Party.
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