Meta tags:

Headings (most frequently used words):

of, kansas, nebraska, debate, in, act, contents, background, congressional, action, aftermath, see, also, references, external, links, introduction, bill, meeting, with, pierce, senate, house, representatives, enactment, bleeding, effect, on, american, indian, tribes, destruction, the, whig, party, later, developments, citations, sources,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (665), and (207), #kansas (97), was (79), slavery (77), that (73), nebraska (72), from (68), douglas (53), act (51), pierce (49), with (48), territory (43), for (43), missouri (42), had (41), would (41), 1854 (37), compromise (37), archived (36), party (34), indian (34), states (33), were (33), american (32), free (32), bill (31), retrieved (28), treaties (28), war (27), house (27), original (27), new (26), congress (23), 2015 (23), history (21), edit (21), territories (21), which (21), franklin (20), been (19), affairs (19), into (19), civil (18), bleeding (18), senate (18), state (18), southern (18), united (17), debate (17), library (16), his (16), anti (16), may (15), nevins (15), republican (15), edu (15), laws (15), but (15), this (14), north (14), president (14), political (14), over (14), vol (14), popular (13), buchanan (13), march (13), digital (13), okstate (13), lincoln (13), pro (13), they (13), northern (13), their (13), all (12), sovereignty (12), james (12), vote (12), who (12), support (12), wayback (11), border (11), 2019 (11), not (11), johanssen (11), democrats (11), whig (11), other (11), democratic (10), machine (10), slave (10), people (10), when (10), also (10), its (10), settlers (10), tribes (10), 1850 (10), land (10), atchison (10), wikipedia (9), under (9), 1856 (9), senator (9), 2008 (9), isbn (9), stephen (9), two (9), both (9), first (9), white (9), whigs (9), against (9), out (9), repeal (9), railroad (9), law (8), 1852 (8), large (8), union (8), potter (8), holt (8), william (8), before (8), osage (8), 2016 (8), january (8), issue (8), many (8), than (8), such (8), government (8), committee (8), page (7), federal (7), national (7), presidency (7), john (7), mcpherson (7), 1988 (7), 2010 (7), 2004 (7), most (7), abolitionist (7), utah (7), after (7), later (7), organize (7), south (7), main (7), between (7), whether (7), representatives (7), links (6), 2023 (6), legislation (6), public (6), convention (6), purchase (6), election (6), 1853 (6), 1861 (6), press (6), 2021 (6), our (6), robert (6), soil (6), lewis (6), repealed (6), senators (6), have (6), northerners (6), held (6), made (6), without (6), more (6), while (6), part (6), speech (6), one (6), region (6), supported (6), southerners (6), unorganized (6), mexico (6), toggle (5), search (5), about (5), organization (5), articles (5), expansion (5), university (5), constitution (5), acts (5), article (5), online (5), manypenny (5), benton (5), louis (5), report (5), abraham (5), peoria (5), series (5), congressional (5), population (5), what (5), sought (5), because (5), took (5), there (5), just (5), never (5), became (5), time (5), great (5), introduced (5), delaware (5), squatters (5), alone (5), known (5), supporters (5), territorial (5), question (5), response (5), believed (5), vast (5), action (5), principles (5), called (5), only (5), down (5), wrote (5), referred (5), any (5), met (5), move (5), mexican (5), passed (5), table (4), contents (4), policy (4), apply (4), commons (4), october (4), link (4), english (4), references (4), old (4), battle (4), general (4), related (4), removed (4), encyclopedia (4), jstor (4), allan (4), michael (4), west (4), george (4), era (4), foner (4), york (4), december (4), brown (4), thomas (4), decide (4), settlement (4), pass (4), 154 (4), see (4), throughout (4), won (4), power (4), nation (4), opposed (4), did (4), meeting (4), formed (4), opponents (4), forces (4), leading (4), already (4), being (4), during (4), interests (4), them (4), effect (4), remained (4), agreed (4), lands (4), day (4), passage (4), those (4), words (4), rather (4), far (4), slaves (4), led (4), favor (4), argued (4), should (4), well (4), end (4), then (4), whole (4), chase (4), same (4), create (4), created (4), group (4), dixon (4), prohibited (4), parallel (4), acquired (4), louisiana (4), hide (4), sidebar (4), view (3), legal (3), contact (3), text (3), wikimedia (3), foundation (3), last (3), category (3), wikidata (3), citations (3), administration (3), 33rd (3), politics (3), statehood (3), origins (3), authority (3), bibliography (3), benjamin (3), georgia (3), america (3), presidential (3), representative (3), 1857 (3), battles (3), background (3), section (3), coming (3), western (3), review (3), 2002 (3), david (3), 1848 (3), 1956 (3), mississippi (3), historical (3), morrison (3), 1880 (3), wards (3), oxford (3), freedom (3), company (3), eric (3), etcheson (3), nicole (3), 2006 (3), contested (3), liberty (3), chambers (3), burns (3), baker (3), times (3), 100 (3), struggle (3), along (3), conflict (3), july (3), nomination (3), michigan (3), needed (3), commissioner (3), central (3), lehrman (3), massachusetts (3), alexander (3), april (3), achieve (3), majority (3), 156 (3), 155 (3), including (3), 414 (3), helped (3), until (3), either (3), attempted (3), voters (3), elections (3), admission (3), final (3), term (3), exclude (3), scott (3), perceived (3), further (3), where (3), few (3), efforts (3), years (3), began (3), former (3), since (3), form (3), came (3), prior (3), votes (3), hoped (3), strong (3), destruction (3), brought (3), reported (3), indians (3), among (3), smallpox (3), nations (3), place (3), construction (3), every (3), treaty (3), value (3), received (3), address (3), several (3), some (3), way (3), agitation (3), often (3), moved (3), allow (3), illinois (3), speeches (3), moral (3), debates (3), immediately (3), give (3), are (3), man (3), aftermath (3), signed (3), voted (3), floor (3), themselves (3), campbell (3), virginia (3), armed (3), off (3), hart (3), even (3), upon (3), opposition (3), davis (3), through (3), full (3), appeal (3), expressed (3), betrayal (3), appearance (3), fought (3), generally (3), iowa (3), ensure (3), language (3), 1820 (3), cabinet (3), though (3), phillips (3), secretary (3), street (3), principle (3), establish (3), portion (3), however (3), chairman (3), transcontinental (3), banned (3), tools (3), subsection (3), topic (2), languages (2), statistics (2), privacy (2), available (2), terms (2), use (2), categories (2), template (2), number (2), unsourced (2), statements (2), written (2), short (2), description (2), title (2), international (2), millard (2), fillmore (2), county (2), washington (2), topeka (2), gadsden (2), inauguration (2), 1837 (2), order (2), marais (2), des (2), cygnes (2), lawrence (2), 1863 (2), osawatomie (2), black (2), pottawatomie (2), via (2), 2024 (2), shapell (2), manuscript (2), private (2), 2014 (2), gov (2), 236 (2), enacted (2), stat (2), 277 (2), has (2), external (2), eds (2), smith (2), 1975 (2), essay (2), 2001 (2), crisis (2), nichols (2), roy (2), century (2), historiography (2), september (2), 187 (2), 212 (2), valley (2), 1947 (2), ordeal (2), dividing (2), klein (2), philip (2), 1995 (2), biography (2), johannsen (2), 1973 (2), equality (2), henry (2), 8050 (2), 1978 (2), 1850s (2), freehling (2), 1970 (2), labor (2), men (2), ideology (2), interpreting (2), nisbet (2), sources (2), unjust (2), guerrilla (2), 1865 (2), 121 (2), 316 (2), 109 (2), 110 (2), 2009 (2), 2017 (2), denied (2), heritage (2), jackson (2), cooper (2), 350 (2), digicoll (2), wisc (2), annual (2), year (2), superintendency (2), 1855 (2), 123 (2), 124 (2), six (2), www (2), britannica (2), effects (2), institute (2), point (2), broadsides (2), 1902683 (2), 2307 (2), doi (2), cong (2), sess (2), result (2), much (2), sutton (2), govtrack (2), houston (2), night (2), still (2), 145 (2), 111 (2), 415 (2), 2205040 (2), issues (2), 161 (2), 413 (2), august (2), continued (2), side (2), lecompton (2), constitutional (2), months (2), unpopularity (2), lost (2), nominated (2), campaigned (2), frémont (2), days (2), delivered (2), insisted (2), decision (2), dred (2), provided (2), wide (2), information (2), developments (2), name (2), statewide (2), platform (2), candidates (2), near (2), apart (2), bring (2), together (2), soilers (2), oppose (2), within (2), system (2), divisions (2), wing (2), candidate (2), another (2), taylor (2), despite (2), himself (2), stand (2), slaveholder (2), decline (2), broke (2), 1860 (2), area (2), cumming (2), least (2), deaths (2), cause (2), death (2), removal (2), 1830s (2), foreign (2), cholera (2), estimated (2), resulting (2), 1830 (2), measles (2), contributing (2), problems (2), built (2), reservation (2), ordered (2), military (2), refused (2), projects (2), nearly (2), perhaps (2), violation (2), personal (2), property (2), hands (2), furthermore (2), cessions (2), given (2), deforestation (2), problem (2), kickapoo (2), shawnee (2), miami (2), kaskaskia (2), oklahoma (2), relocations (2), present (2), passing (2), flooded (2), hoping (2), influence (2), come (2), fight (2), five (2), maintain (2), peace (2), capital (2), set (2), own (2), staters (2), voting (2), blue (2), violent (2), elements (2), gave (2), comprehensive (2), hour (2), presented (2), arguments (2), four (2), seat (2), common (2), halls (2), arena (2), committing (2), interested (2), responsible (2), consequences (2), decisions (2), permitted (2), actions (2), parcel (2), atrocious (2), plot (2), unoccupied (2), world (2), laborers (2), convert (2), dreary (2), despotism (2), inhabited (2), masters (2), especially (2), attack (2), publicly (2), like (2), charles (2), sumner (2), protest (2), enactment (2), 113 (2), handled (2), citizens (2), distinct (2), community (2), stephens (2), neither (2), finally (2), making (2), soiler (2), told (2), unless (2), sacred (2), settled (2), intense (2), historian (2), biographer (2), long (2), above (2), intended (2), item (2), faced (2), cushing (2), enough (2), having (2), published (2), criminal (2), reintroduced (2), country (2), must (2), each (2), wilmot (2), proviso (2), giant (2), throat (2), cass (2), split (2), division (2), concerns (2), likely (2), existing (2), except (2), approved (2), superseded (2), declared (2), inoperative (2), soon (2), test (2), proposal (2), determined (2), reluctant (2), arranged (2), meet (2), hunter (2), kentucky (2), repealing (2), back (2), alternative (2), instead (2), submitted (2), plan (2), similar (2), amendment (2), mess (2), slaveholders (2), situation (2), creation (2), established (2), recent (2), introduction (2), parts (2), announced (2), legislative (2), shared (2), almost (2), proposals (2), early (2), route (2), latitude (2), 1840s (2), taken (2), eastern (2), chicago (2), line (2), develop (2), conflicts (2), help (2), tensions (2), events (2), upload (2), file (2), changes (2), read (2), log (2), account (2), donate (2), menu (2), add, mobile, cookie, statement, developers, code, conduct, safety, contacts, disclaimers, additional, using, site, you, agree, registered, trademark, non, profit, inc, creative, attribution, sharealike, license, rendered, parsoid, edited, 2026, utc, hidden, deprecated, archive, webarchive, needing, 2022, june, 2025, different, controversies, expansionism, african, https, org, index, php, nebraska_act, oldid, 1378266980, israel, viaf, control, databases, son, brother, kendrick, father, wife, jane, family, statue, pierceton, indiana, mount, manse, homestead, image, ostend, manifesto, young, movement, list, judges, appointed, rail, accident, timeline, cemetery, churubusco, contreras, 9th, infantry, regiment, doughface, life, 1833, 1842, hampshire, 14th, topics, mine, creek, 1864, baxter, springs, brooklyn, osceola, campaigns, combatants, fort, titus, jack, spurs, wakarusa, archives, transcript, correspondence, 2018, resources, polarization, fugitive, letter, annotated, statutes, media, 1905, wikisource, joann, ross, essays, scholars, wunder, revisionist, 1977, 385, wolff, gerald, stewart, matthew, burden, collective, memory, reunification, empire, 1913, elbert, 7006, 0132, sengupta, gunja, winter, 318, 341, 1976, winning, scholarly, pulitzer, prize, impending, 684, 10424, 1997, 2012, edition, eclipse, manifest, destiny, 9780199743902, cry, 1962, newtown, 945707, 501620, huston, 2007, dilemmas, presidents, kindle, llc, 978, 8719, 1990, 505814, road, disunion, secessionists, bay, 1776, 509497, childers, christopher, historiographical, volume, 2011, project, muse, bullion, excerpt, jean, books, 6946, 169, 105, neely, jeremy, cruel, 784, 120, loc, 1610, rudin, ken, february, npr, 106, 129, 130, chronicles, doy, spring, tom, huntington, gienapp, 1987, 189, 223, 323, stocking, 1904, oaks, commemorating, fiftieth, anniversary, founding, gilman, 1914, origin, 67628, oclc, 70097024, lccn, paul, finkelman, peter, wallenstein, 226, 117, 119, 243, 239, 127, malin, 1942, legend, fifty, goodrich, knife, com, preface, turning, ephemera, worcester, accessed, 281, globe, reports, 139, norton, fiery, trial, kathy, reopened, extending, allowing, matter, spurred, westward, determination, factions, legends, lee, signs, 157, 1254, 309, 401, 166, 165, occurred, retired, estimates, might, attendance, vary, mar, 144, 420, 112, 418, 417, russel, 1963, 198, 0022, 4642, issn, 197, journal, 412, 351, 406, 405, kent, powell, mormonism, 402, 403, johansson, 374, 400, 550, 551, 407, 150, 152, 146, 149, smithsonian, wealthy, activist, turn, warfare, extended, 1860s, continuing, ended, killings, lootings, performed, partisans, admit, rejected, 1858, referendum, delegates, 1859, wyandotte, partly, due, bid, elected, actively, reelection, second, republicans, carried, chief, justice, asserted, doctrine, respect, repudiation, interference, roger, taney, divided, pointed, toward, suffered, huge, losses, array, parties, deplored, stance, bias, anything, escalate, mood, inflame, anger, midterm, local, suggested, schoolhouse, selected, slate, lead, forming, tickets, areas, adjacent, born, campaigning, emotional, frontier, capture, midwest, ripon, wisconsin, spark, manner, truly, could, viewed, aggressive, expansionist, maneuver, owning, intensely, motivated, capable, checking, inception, coalition, dominated, decades, increasing, internal, strange, bedfellows, ascendant, clashed, traditionalist, increasingly, these, head, trounced, felt, burned, unwilling, potentially, owner, proved, erosion, alongside, loss, doomed, again, contest, willing, zachary, winfield, standpoint, effectiveness, hammered, seizing, initiative, identified, defenders, beginnings, explained, devastating, populations, diseases, providing, superintendent, colonel, alfred, births, noting, intemperance, specifically, cited, none, able, ameliorate, disastrous, disease, exemplified, encountered, epidemics, associated, relocation, initial, plains, 1829, 1843, killed, 242, recession, roughly, percent, 300, lives, massive, 000, 500, scrofula, scurvy, influenza, alcoholism, beyond, host, city, consent, removing, comply, undermining, infrastructure, improvement, promised, example, deal, longer, complete, expected, damaging, mistreatment, properties, numerous, episodes, maltreatment, destroyed, premature, illegal, jeopardized, future, living, purchases, handed, critical, payment, injuries, lowered, ceded, leavenworth, officials, negotiations, acquire, exchange, largely, small, reservations, cases, otoe, omaha, consolidated, engaged, scale, southeastern, process, midwestern, latter, direct, following, admittance, lesser, extent, ioway, trail, tears, sons, gained, notoriety, murdering, farmers, broadsword, defend, dozen, hundred, angry, massacre, successive, governors, usually, sympathetic, target, hostile, environment, unofficial, legislature, mainly, neighboring, successfully, temporary, bolstered, resident, missourians, crossed, solely, ballots, groups, dubbed, coined, opponent, east, expressly, make, clash, opposing, sides, inevitable, jayhawkers, horace, greeley, ruffians, lodges, stacking, bloody, confrontations, involving, heart, outlaw, thus, enter, ruffian, map, shows, gray, pink, green, aired, disagreement, seven, argument, provisions, spoke, audience, hours, three, thorough, economic, raised, profile, stage, immediate, responses, fell, classes, less, withdraw, arbitration, leave, outrage, emigrant, eyes, aggression, beliefs, calls, seen, advertised, gatherings, discuss, presumption, alas, too, consistency, individuality, character, renders, staunch, seaworthy, bind, iron, drawn, bolts, ill, fitted, vessel, miserable, loosened, fragments, human, anomaly, sir, can, speak, substituting, ban, arous, ing, storm, true, imposed, right, govern, domestic, matters, please, honored, filibuster, ohio, provoked, joined, antislavery, exchanged, insults, invectives, giving, quarter, weapons, brandished, bumptiousness, violence, restrained, sergeant, arms, arrested, him, cut, adjourned, melee, subside, oiled, democrat, edmundson, excuse, turmoil, mischief, keep, god, completely, entirely, forever, dragged, breaking, seemed, foregone, conclusion, went, speaking, forcefully, measure, passionate, polemical, attacked, stood, thirty, solitary, need, preferring, distributed, afterward, pamphlet, outside, walls, delaying, tactic, calendar, realizing, stall, uphill, clear, essential, dictate, how, spearheaded, partisan, leadership, roll, call, ahead, tabled, patronage, concluded, beginning, midnight, half, reins, hand, applied, whip, spur, wagon, eleven, clock, glory, urged, stir, texas, sam, unanimous, sentiment, indignant, resistance, feeling, inferior, strength, universality, continue, rallies, across, advocate, tribune, seward, charged, authors, whom, confederates, perpetrated, base, falsehood, sense, recalling, smiling, face, friendship, appealed, postponement, ground, yet, familiarized, little, suppose, granted, courtesy, remarked, compatriots, document, arraigned, guilty, trust, bad, faith, plotting, attending, divine, worship, assembled, secret, conclave, devoting, sabbath, conspiratorial, deceitful, purposes, personally, responded, opened, packed, gallery, described, arraign, gross, pledge, precious, rights, immigrants, ohioans, independent, salmon, joshua, giddings, convulsed, interconnected, claimed, endorsed, bible, good, whose, publications, telling, supposed, beneficence, lie, enslaving, person, christian, horrible, sin, pertinacity, bitterness, rancor, unknown, disadvantage, majorities, ferocious, fighter, fiercest, ruthless, unscrupulous, ever, tightly, disciplined, victory, earlier, predicted, straw, deep, seated, ineradicable, hatred, institution, will, crush, hazards, cost, freesoilers, abolitionists, beneficent, cartoon, depicts, standing, holds, beard, shoves, cuba, forcing, freesoiler, revised, concerned, location, proposed, legislators, best, method, therefore, attract, affirm, application, supplemented, eighth, preparatory, commonly, measures, identical, convened, persuaded, insistence, draft, asserting, informed, concurred, change, direction, communications, organ, orthodoxy, agreeable, offer, commitment, sunday, refrained, conducting, business, accompanied, breckinridge, enthusiastic, implications, barely, message, month, close, advisors, proponent, serious, navy, judicial, ruling, constitutionality, attorney, supreme, court, find, unconstitutional, caleb, dobbin, jefferson, marcy, offered, alabama, encouragement, momentum, loyalty, attempt, finesse, around, work, explicitly, surprised, introducing, privately, misgivings, reaction, accept, archibald, self, stake, surely, going, rests, vicious, wrong, compared, instance, previously, ruled, validity, affirming, nor, ignoring, addressing, enduring, mere, adjustment, difficulties, arising, acquisition, designed, certain, furnish, adequate, remedies, evils, avoid, perils, withdrawing, arbitrament, admitted, said, shall, prescribe, accompanying, body, modified, authored, mirror, extend, smaller, portions, transferred, balance, 1867, citation, idaho, colorado, dakota, canada, 49th, organized, restrictions, whenever, chose, unlike, arguably, subject, labeled, stalled, previous, session, augustus, dodge, found, lodging, boarding, houses, perform, duties, lodgings, housemates, included, finance, carolina, judiciary, reconvened, termed, virginian, nucleus, insist, aware, opinions, knew, fervent, believer, letting, exclusively, males, exist, goode, andrew, butler, mason, tempore, adjournment, entangled, maneuvered, choosing, antagonizing, position, sink, hell, overrun, late, failed, disputes, follow, 107, headed, silent, river, inflexible, motion, discussed, specifics, consensus, financed, grants, 1845, serving, unsuccessful, formally, step, building, terminus, debated, subsequent, sessions, cities, competing, jumping, orleans, memphis, quincy, dark, 1821, reserved, below, inaugural, hope, left, decided, poured, commercial, pressure, mounted, required, threatened, open, contentious, approval, margin, stronger, strongly, outraged, caused, knell, ailing, remnants, rise, inflamed, key, amounts, 1803, stymied, leaders, outlawed, win, status, determine, allowed, rice, drafted, intention, opening, facilitate, effectively, stoking, organic, codification, effective, establishing, printable

Text of the page (random words):
ch concurred with the change of direction 20 the washington union the communications organ for the administration wrote on january 24 that support for the bill would be a test of democratic orthodoxy 21 debate in senate edit on january 23 a revised bill was introduced in the senate that repealed the missouri compromise and split the unorganized land into two new territories kansas and nebraska the division was the result of concerns expressed by settlers already in nebraska as well as the senators from iowa who were concerned with the location of the territory s seat of government if such a large territory were created as well the bill s proposed border for kansas was perceived by southern legislators as the best method to ensure at least one slave state would be created by the law kansas was made to only border missouri a slave state and therefore more likely to attract pro slavery settlers 22 existing language to affirm the application of all other laws of the united states in the new territory was supplemented by the language agreed on with pierce except the eighth section of the act preparatory to the admission of missouri into the union approved march 6 1820 the missouri compromise which was superseded by the legislation of 1850 commonly called the compromise measures the compromise of 1850 and is declared inoperative identical legislation was soon introduced in the house 23 forcing slavery down the throat of a freesoiler an 1854 cartoon depicts a giant free soiler being held down by james buchanan and lewis cass standing on the democratic platform of making slave states out of kansas cuba and central america franklin pierce also holds down the giant s beard as stephen a douglas shoves a black man down his throat historian allan nevins wrote that the country then became convulsed with two interconnected battles over slavery a political battle was being fought in congress over the question of slavery in the new states that were coming at the same time there was a moral debate southerners claimed that slavery was beneficent endorsed by the bible and generally good policy whose expansion must be supported the publications and speeches of abolitionists some of them former slaves themselves were telling northerners that the supposed beneficence of slavery was a southern lie and that enslaving another person was un christian a horrible sin that must be fought both battles were fought with a pertinacity bitterness and rancor unknown even in wilmot proviso days the freesoilers were at a distinct disadvantage in congress the democrats held large majorities in each house and douglas a ferocious fighter the fiercest most ruthless and most unscrupulous that congress had perhaps ever known led a tightly disciplined party in the nation at large the opponents of nebraska hoped to achieve a moral victory the new york times which had earlier supported pierce predicted that this would be the last straw for northern supporters of the slavery forces and would create a deep seated intense and ineradicable hatred of the institution which will crush its political power at all hazards and at any cost 24 the day after the bill was reintroduced two ohioans representative joshua giddings and senator salmon p chase published a free soil response appeal of the independent democrats in congress to the people of the united states we arraign this bill as a gross violation of a sacred pledge as a criminal betrayal of precious rights as part and parcel of an atrocious plot to exclude from vast unoccupied region immigrants from the old world and free laborers from our states and convert it into a dreary region of despotism inhabited by masters and slaves 25 douglas took the appeal personally and responded in congress when the debate was opened on january 30 before a full house and packed gallery douglas biographer robert w johanssen described part of the speech douglas charged the authors of the appeal whom he referred to throughout as the abolitionist confederates with having perpetrated a base falsehood in their protest he expressed his sense of betrayal recalling that chase with a smiling face and the appearance of friendship had appealed for a postponement of debate on the ground that he had not yet familiarized himself with the bill little did i suppose at the time that i granted that act of courtesy douglas remarked that chase and his compatriots had published a document in which they arraigned me as having been guilty of a criminal betrayal of my trust of bad faith and of plotting against the cause of free government while other senators were attending divine worship they had been assembled in a secret conclave devoting the sabbath to their own conspiratorial and deceitful purposes 26 the debate would continue for four months as many anti nebraska political rallies were held across the north douglas remained the main advocate for the bill while chase william seward of new york and charles sumner of massachusetts led the opposition the new york tribune wrote on march 2 the unanimous sentiment of the north is indignant resistance the whole population is full of it the feeling in 1848 was far inferior to this in strength and universality 27 sam houston from texas was one of the few southern opponents of the kansas nebraska act in the debate he urged maintain the missouri compromise stir not up agitation give us peace 28 alexander stephens from georgia nebraska is through the house i took the reins in my hand applied the whip and spur and brought the wagon out at eleven o clock p m glory enough for one day 29 the debate in the senate concluded on march 4 1854 when douglas beginning near midnight on march 3 made a five and a half hour speech the final vote in favor of passage was 37 to 14 30 free state senators voted 14 to 12 in favor and slave state senators supported the bill 23 to 2 31 debate in house of representatives edit on march 21 1854 as a delaying tactic in the house of representatives the legislation was referred by a vote of 110 to 95 to the committee of the whole where it was the last item on the calendar realizing from the vote to stall that the act faced an uphill struggle the pierce administration made it clear to all democrats that passage of the bill was essential to the party and would dictate how federal patronage would be handled davis and cushing from massachusetts along with douglas spearheaded the partisan efforts 32 by the end of april douglas believed that there were enough votes to pass the bill the house leadership then began a series of roll call votes in which legislation ahead of the kansas nebraska act was called to the floor and tabled without debate 33 thomas hart benton was among those speaking forcefully against the measure on april 25 in a house speech that biographer william nisbet chambers called long passionate historical and polemical benton attacked the repeal of the missouri compromise which he had stood upon above thirty years and intended to stand upon it to the end solitary and alone if need be but preferring company the speech was distributed afterward as a pamphlet when opposition to the action moved outside the walls of congress 34 it was not until may 8 that the debate began in the house the debate was even more intense than in the senate while it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the bill would pass the opponents went all out to fight it 35 historian michael morrison wrote thomas hart benton of missouri what is the excuse for all this turmoil and mischief we are told it is to keep the question of slavery out of congress great god it was out of congress completely entirely and forever out of congress unless congress dragged it in by breaking down the sacred laws which settled it 29 a filibuster led by lewis d campbell an ohio free soiler nearly provoked the house into a war of more than words campbell joined by other antislavery northerners exchanged insults and invectives with southerners neither side giving quarter weapons were brandished on the floor of the house finally bumptiousness gave way to violence henry a edmundson a virginia democrat well oiled and well armed had to be restrained from making a violent attack on campbell only after the sergeant at arms arrested him the debate was cut off and the house adjourned did the melee subside 36 the floor debate was handled by alexander stephens of georgia who insisted that the missouri compromise had never been a true compromise but had been imposed on the south he argued that the issue was whether republican principles that the citizens of every distinct community or state should have the right to govern themselves in their domestic matters as they please would be honored 37 the final house vote in favor of the bill was 113 to 100 38 northern democrats supported the bill 44 to 42 but all 45 northern whigs opposed it southern democrats voted in favor by 57 to 2 and southern whigs supported it by 12 to 7 39 enactment edit president franklin pierce signed the kansas nebraska act into law on may 30 1854 1 40 41 42 this act repealed the missouri compromise substituting for the ban on slavery what douglas called popular sovereignty arous ing a storm of protest throughout the north 43 aftermath edit charles sumner on stephen douglas alas too often those principles which give consistency individuality and form to the northern character which renders it staunch strong and seaworthy which bind it together as with iron are drawn out one by one like the bolts of the ill fitted vessel and from the miserable loosened fragments is formed that human anomaly a northern man with southern principles sir no such man can speak for the north 44 immediate responses to the passage of the kansas nebraska act fell into two classes the less common response was held by douglas s supporters who believed that the bill would withdraw the question of slavery from the halls of congress and the political arena committing it to the arbitration of those who were immediately interested in and alone responsible for its consequences 45 in other words they believed that the act would leave decisions about whether slavery would be permitted in the hands of the people rather than the federal government the far more common response was one of outrage interpreting douglas s actions as in their words part and parcel of an atrocious plot to exclude from a vast unoccupied region emigrant from the old world and free laborers from our states and convert it into a dreary region of despotism inhabited by masters and slaves 46 especially in the eyes of northerners the kansas nebraska act was aggression and an attack on the power and beliefs of free states 47 the response led to calls for public action against the south as seen in broadsides that advertised gatherings in northern states to discuss publicly what to do about the presumption of the act 48 douglas and former illinois representative abraham lincoln aired their disagreement over the kansas nebraska act in seven public speeches during september and october 1854 49 lincoln gave his most comprehensive argument against slavery and the provisions of the act in peoria illinois on october 16 in the peoria speech 50 he and douglas both spoke to the large audience douglas first and lincoln in response two hours later lincoln s three hour speech presented thorough moral legal and economic arguments against slavery and raised lincoln s political profile for the first time the speeches set the stage for the lincoln douglas debates four years later when lincoln sought douglas s senate seat 51 bleeding kansas edit main article bleeding kansas this 1856 map shows slave states gray free states pink u s territories green and kansas white bleeding kansas bloody kansas or the border war was a series of violent political confrontations in the united states between 1854 and 1861 involving anti slavery free staters and pro slavery border ruffian or southern elements in kansas at the heart of the conflict was the question of whether kansas would allow or outlaw slavery and thus enter the union as a slave state or a free state 52 pro slavery settlers came to kansas mainly from neighboring missouri successfully vote stacking to form a temporary pro slavery government prior to statehood 42 their influence in territorial elections was often bolstered by resident missourians who crossed into kansas solely for voting in such ballots they formed groups such as the blue lodges and were dubbed border ruffians a term coined by the opponent and abolitionist horace greeley abolitionist settlers known as jayhawkers moved from the east expressly to make kansas a free state a clash between the opposing sides was inevitable 53 successive territorial governors usually sympathetic to slavery attempted to maintain the peace the territorial capital of lecompton the target of much agitation became such a hostile environment for free staters that they set up their own unofficial legislature at topeka 54 abolitionist john brown and his sons gained notoriety in the fight against slavery by murdering five pro slavery farmers with a broadsword in the 1856 pottawatomie massacre brown also helped defend a few dozen free state supporters from several hundred angry pro slavery supporters at osawatomie 55 effect on american indian tribes edit before the organization of the kansas nebraska territory in 1854 the kansas and nebraska territories were consolidated as part of the indian territory throughout the 1830s the united states engaged in large scale relocations of american indian tribes to the indian territory with many southeastern nations removed to present day oklahoma a process ordered by the indian removal act of 1830 and also known as the trail of tears and many midwestern nations removed by way of the treaty to present day kansas among the latter were the shawnee 56 delaware 57 kickapoo 58 kaskaskia and peoria 59 ioway 60 and miami 61 the passing of the kansas nebraska act came into direct conflict with the relocations white american settlers from both the free soil north and pro slavery south flooded the northern indian territory hoping to influence the vote on slavery that would come following the admittance of kansas and to a lesser extent nebraska to the united states to address the reservation settlement problem us officials attempted further treaty negotiations with the tribes of kansas and nebraska in 1854 alone the u s agreed to acquire lands in kansas or nebraska from several tribes including the kickapoo 62 delaware 63 omaha 64 shawnee 65 otoe and missouri 66 miami 67 and kaskaskia and peoria 68 in exchange for their land cessions the tribes largely received small reservations in the indian territory of oklahoma or kansas in some cases for the nations that remained in kansas beyond 1854 the kansas nebraska act introduced a host of other problems in 1855 white squatters built the city of leavenworth on the delaware reservation without the consent of either...