_______ introduced a bill to congress to organize the territories of kansas and nebraska.
This lesson plan will examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how its author, Stephen Douglas, promoted its policy of popular sovereignty in an effort to avoid a national crisis over slavery in the federal territories. The first real effort in Congress to organize a territory including the state of Kansas was made on December 13, 1852, when Willard P. Hall, a member from Missouri, introduced a bill providing for the organization of the Territory of Platte, to include both the present states of Kansas and Nebraska. In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas introduced a bill before Congress for the organization of Kansas and Nebraska (Kansas-Nebraska Act). The territories would be divided by the 40th parallel. Interactive maps of the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 and the Missouri Compromise of 1820, designed for use with this lesson. Stephen A. Douglas's speech on the Nebraska Territory (1854) Abraham Lincoln's speech on The Repeal of the Missouri Compromise (1854) Opposition was intense, but ultimately the bill passed in May of 1854. Territory north of the sacred 36°30' line was now open to popular sovereignty. The North was outraged. The Kansas-Nebraska act made it possible for the Kansas and Nebraska territories (shown in orange) to open to slavery. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 shattered whatever peace was gained by the Compromise of 1850. In addition to organizing the U.S. Territories of Kansas and Nebraska, the act attempted to deal with the extension of slavery into this region by allowing the settlers in each territory to decide the question for themselves. Highlights. 1  In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas introduced a bill before Congress for the organization of Kansas and Nebraska (Kansas-Nebraska Act). 2  In addition, the issue of slavery in the territories would be decided by popular sovereignty instead of by the Missouri Compromise of 1820. In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas introduced a bill before Congress for the organization of two territories, Kansas and Nebraska. The territories would be divided by the 40th parallel. The Kansas-Nebraska Act. Stephen Douglas, the sponsor of the Kansas-Nebraska Act as well as the most vocal supporter of popular sovereignty, was known as the Little Giant because of his small stature. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 may have been the single most significant event leading to the Civil War. The person behind the Kansas-Nebraska Act was Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. The Kansas-Nebraska Act began a chain of events in the Kansas Territory that foreshadowed the Civil War.
Stephen Douglas