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| | ==President Franklin Pierce and the Kansas-Nebraska Act== | | ==President Franklin Pierce and the Kansas-Nebraska Act== |
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| − | The slavery issue had become so divisive by the election of 1852 that it was almost impossible for a political party to nominate anyone with strong views on it. Instead, political parties turned more to "dark horse" nominees whose positions were not so clear, and thus not so objectionable to one side or the other. That enabled them to appear to be more electable ''without'' having taken a stand. | + | The slavery issue had become so divisive by the election of 1852 that it was almost impossible for a political party to nominate anyone with strong views on it. Instead, political parties turned more to "dark horse" nominees whose positions on slavery were unknown, and thus not so objectionable to one side or the other. That enabled them to appear to be more electable ''without'' having taken a stand. |
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| − | The Whig Party, with its concentration in the North, collapsed over the slavery issue, as the pro- and anti-slavery members went in different directions. The Democratic Party, which was more the party of the South, nominated the dark horse candidate Franklin Pierce in 1852. He had been quietly pro-slavery, and he won the presidential election because the Whig Party was no longer strong enough to oppose him. | + | The Whig Party, with its concentration in the North, collapsed over disagreement about the slavery issue, as the pro- and anti-slavery members went in different directions. The Democratic Party, which was more the party of the South, nominated the dark horse candidate Franklin Pierce in 1852. He had been quietly pro-slavery, and he won the presidential election because the Whig Party was no longer strong enough to oppose him. |
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| | The Compromise of 1850 resulted in a brief respite from the divisive conflict. In 1853, when Pierce became president, he tried hard to prevent further conflict from breaking out, but he could not control the conflict any better than anyone else. | | The Compromise of 1850 resulted in a brief respite from the divisive conflict. In 1853, when Pierce became president, he tried hard to prevent further conflict from breaking out, but he could not control the conflict any better than anyone else. |
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| − | In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas pushed through the Senate the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Historians consider this ill-advised law to be the greatest single step towards Civil War. It replaced Missouri Compromise with Douglas's concept of "popular sovereignty" for new territories, whereby each new region could decide for itself whether to allow slavery. This ended up causing mini-wars over the issue, especially in Kansas. This Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and reopened the question of slavery in the West, particularly Kansas. | + | In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas pushed through the Senate the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. '''''Historians consider this ill-advised law to be the greatest single step towards Civil War.''''' It replaced Missouri Compromise with Douglas's concept of "popular sovereignty" for new territories, whereby each new region could decide for itself whether to allow slavery. This caused mini-wars over the issue, especially in Kansas. This Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and reopened the question of slavery in the West, particularly Kansas. |
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| | Furious, anti-slavery activists founded the Republican Party in 1854 in order to: | | Furious, anti-slavery activists founded the Republican Party in 1854 in order to: |