Kansas–Nebraska Act
E54193
The Kansas–Nebraska Act was an 1854 U.S. law that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and inflamed sectional tensions by allowing settlers there to decide the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty, effectively nullifying the Missouri Compromise.
Aliases (4)
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
19th-century legislation
→
United States federal law → |
| affectedCompromise |
Missouri Compromise of 1820
→
|
| aimedToFacilitate |
construction of a transcontinental railroad
→
|
| allowed |
territorial decision on slavery by popular vote
→
|
| chamberOfOrigin |
United States Senate
→
|
| consequence |
Bleeding Kansas
→
decline of the Whig Party → escalation of sectional tensions between North and South → growth of the Republican Party → heightened national debate over slavery → violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| createdTerritory |
Kansas Territory
→
Nebraska Territory → |
| dateEnacted |
1854-05-30
→
|
| executiveAction |
presidential signature by Franklin Pierce
→
|
| governmentBranch |
United States Congress
→
|
| hasEffect |
overturned Missouri Compromise restriction on slavery north of latitude 36°30′
→
|
| hasShortName |
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
→
|
| historicalPeriod |
Antebellum period
→
|
| introducedIn |
33rd United States Congress
→
|
| language |
English
→
|
| legalPrinciple |
popular sovereignty
→
|
| legislativeType |
organic act
→
|
| locationOfLegislativeBody |
Washington, D.C.
→
|
| longTitle |
An Act to Organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas
→
|
| opposedBy |
Northern abolitionists
→
|
| partOf |
United States territorial expansion
→
history of slavery in the United States → |
| politicalContext |
sectional conflict over expansion of slavery
→
|
| proposedBy |
Stephen A. Douglas
→
|
| regionAffected |
American Midwest
→
Kansas Territory → Nebraska Territory → |
| relatedConcept |
slave power controversy
→
states' rights → westward expansion of the United States → |
| relatedToEvent |
American Civil War
→
Bleeding Kansas → |
| repealedProvisionOf |
Missouri Compromise
→
|
| signedBy |
Franklin Pierce
→
|
| sponsoredBy |
Stephen A. Douglas
→
|
| subjectMatter |
slavery in United States territories
→
territorial organization → |
| supportedBy |
many Southern pro-slavery politicians
→
|
| year |
1854
→
|
Referenced by (11)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Stephen A. Douglas
("Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854")
→
|
coAuthored |
|
Whig Party
→
|
dividedOver |
|
Compromise of 1850
→
|
followedBy |
|
Bleeding Kansas crisis
→
|
hasCause |
|
Bleeding Kansas crisis
("Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854")
→
|
hasLegalContext |
|
Bleeding Kansas crisis
("Missouri Compromise repeal")
→
|
hasRelatedEvent |
|
Kansas–Nebraska Act
("Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854")
→
|
hasShortName |
|
Stephen A. Douglas
→
|
knownFor |
|
Missouri Compromise
→
|
laterAffectedBy |
|
Charles Sumner
("the Kansas–Nebraska Act")
→
|
opposed |
|
Antebellum period
→
|
significantEvent |