Stephen Douglas, the Kansas- Nebraska Act, and Bleeding Kansas

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Stephen Douglas, the Kansas- Nebraska Act, and
Bleeding Kansas

• By Hannah Lotz, Abby Davison, and Kelly Stecher

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Stephen Douglas

• Leading politician
• Leader of Democratic party
• Illinois senator
• Nicknamed the Little Giant
• Helped to engineer the Compromise of 1850

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• Douglas believed popular sovereignty would solve
  slavery debate
• Residents of an area vote to decide an issue
• If the people want a slaveholding state, let
  them have it, and if they ant a free state, they
  have a right to it Stephen Douglas

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• Popular sovereignty to solve slavery debate
• Continued expansion would strengthen his party
• Unify the nation
• Assumed Nebraska territory would be 2 states
• Douglas believed South was still larger, would
  vote to keep slavery
• Didnt count on North strongly opposing slavery

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The Kansas- Nebraska Act

• Introduced idea to split Kansas territory into
  two states
• Would repeal Missouri Compromise
• Bill allowed states to choose to be slaveholding
  or free
• And it is not for the people of IL, or
  Missouri, or New York, or Kentucky, to complain,
  whatever the decision of Kansas may be Stephen
  Douglas

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• North opposed the Act
• South encouraged the Act
• The Kansas- Nebraska Act passed

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Bleeding Kansas

• 1854- 1858 in Kansas Territory
• Battle of Civil War
• Pottawatomie Massacre
• Come on, then, gentlemen of the Slave StatesWe
  will engage in Competition fro the virgin soil of
  Kansas and God give the victory to the side that
  is stronger in numbers as it is in right. -New
  York Senator William Seward

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Causes

• Kansas- Nebraska Act
• Controversy over free/ slave states
• Pottawatomie Massacre
• 200 people died
• John Brown

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Effects

• Kansas
• Unknown
• 100 or fewer (30- 40 killed)
• Missouri
• Unknown
• 80 or fewer (20-30 killed)