The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a controversial piece of legislation that repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether to allow slavery through popular sovereignty.
What did the Kansas - Nebraska Act cause?
The Kansas-Nebraska Act attempted to address this conflict by proposing the idea of popular sovereignty. This principle held that the people of a territory should decide whether or not to allow slavery, rather than Congress.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act quickly led to violence and political turmoil in Kansas. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers poured into the territory, each side determined to have their voice heard.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act is considered a major turning point in the history of the United States. It deepened the divide between the North and the South and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.
"Border ruffians" were pro-slavery settlers from Missouri who crossed into Kansas to vote in elections and intimidate anti-slavery settlers.