Final answer:
After the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, disappointed members of several major political parties combined to form the Republican Party. Option 2
Step-by-step explanation:
After the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, disappointed members of several major political parties combined to form the Republican Party. This act had massive political ramifications, including the fracturing of the Democrats on sectional lines and the decline of the Whig party's political power.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act played a crucial role in giving rise to the Republican Party, which brought together northern Whigs, anti-Kansas-Nebraska Act Democrats, Free-Soilers, and abolitionists into a new political coalition concerned primarily with preventing the spread of slavery.
The 1854 midterm elections reflected northern resentment toward the Democrats and underscored the potential for a new party that could successfully oppose the pro-slavery stance.
The Republican Party was officially named in 1856 after going through several different names and became a serious contender in the political arena. The realignment of parties in the 1850s was influenced not only by disagreements over slavery but also by nativist sentiments that shaped the political landscape. Option 2