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Kansas Nebraska Act Dbq

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Kansas Nebraska Act Dbq
The Kansas- Nebraska Act was proposed by Stephen Douglas in 1854. This Act stated that the territory of Nebraska would be split into two separate territories, Nebraska and Kansas. It also stated the people could vote on whether the territories would have slavery. This Act caused a large controversy between the people in the North and the South of the United States. The Kansas- Nebraska Act was passed only a few years before the Civil War broke out in America. Many people think that the Kansas-Nebraska Act was one stepping stone that led to the war. The Kansas-Nebraska Act directly opposed the Missouri Compromise(“Kansas-Nebraska Act”). The Missouri Compromise created a balance between the North and the South. The Missouri Compromise stated …show more content…
Obviously, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was not the only cause of the Civil War, but it could be said that it was something that increased the tension between the North and the South (Kennedy,Cohen, and Bailey 434). The Kansas-Nebraska Act shattered the Democratic party. The Democratic party had existed for about half of a century, but now it was split over the issue of slavery(Kennedy,Cohen, and Bailey 433). The crash of the Democratic party allowed the Republican party to form. The members of the members of the Democratic and Republican parties had opposing views(Kennedy,Cohen, and Bailey 435). Later, in the election of 1860, the Republican party would team up with several other small parties to rival against the Democratic party. The Civil War began soon after the election of 1860. Therefore, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was one of the factors that led to the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act that was passed by Congress in 1854 increased the already building tension between the North and the South. It caused a civil war in Kansas and many people believed that it was one of the causes of the American Civil War. The disastrous effects that were caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act serves as an example of what could happen if people in America today were to become as divided over an issue as they were over

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