The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854

Download or read book The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854 written by John R. Wunder and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854 turns upside down the traditional way of thinking about one of the most important laws ever passed in American history. The act that created Nebraska and Kansas also, in effect, abolished the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery in the region since 1820. This bow to local control outraged the nation and led to vicious confrontations, including Kansas' subsequent mini-civil war. At the 150th anniversary of the Kansas-Nebraska Act these scholars reexamine the political, social, and personal contexts of this act and its effect on the course of American history.