The Kansas-Nebraska Act

In 1854, both Kansas and Nebraska were made territories thanks to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The idea was first brought to the table by Stephen A. Douglas, a Democratic Senator. This act allowed settlers to decide for themselves if they wanted the territory to be a slave land or "free" land. It completely repealed the Missouri Compromise which now made slavery legal in the North. This, of course, greatly angered Northerners. They were so upset that they created the Republican Party which was started to stop the spread, and expansion of slavery throughout the country. The Republican Party became very prominent in the North, and eventually led to the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

(picture of the Kansas-Nebraska Act)