The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854

"The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854" turns upside down the traditional way of thinking about one of the most important laws ever passed in American history. The act that created Nebraska and Kansas also, in effect, abolished the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery in the region since 1820. This bow to local control outraged the nation and led to vicious confrontations, including Kansas' subsequent mini-civil war. The essays in this volume shift the focus from the violent and influential reaction of 'Bleeding Kansas' to the role that Nebraska played in this decisive moment. Essays from both established and new scholars examine the historical context and significance of this statute. They treat American political culture of the 1850s; American territorial history; the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, and Frederick Douglass in the creation and implementation of the law; the reactions of African Americans to the act; and, the comparative impact on Nebraskans and Kansans. At the 150th anniversary of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, as it came to be known, these scholars re-examine the political, social, and personal contexts of this act and its effect on the course of American history.

ISBN 0803248229   Pages 272 ISBN13 9780803248229 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher University of Nebraska Press   Weight (grammes) 281 Imprint University of Nebraska Press   Published in Lincoln Format Paperback   Series title Law in the American West Publication date 15 Sep 2008   Height (mm) 213 Library of Congress 2007043178   Width (mm) 143 DEWEY 973.66   Spine width (mm) 13 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Professional / Scholarly

		List of Maps
1		"An Eclipse of the Sun": The Nebraska-Kansas Act in Historical Perspective by John R. Wunder and Joann M. Ross		1
2		The Kansas-Nebraska Act in American Political Culture: The Road to Bladensburg and the Appeal of the Independent Democrats by Mark E. Neely, Jr.		13
3		Nebraska and Kansas Territories in American Legal Culture: Territorial Statutory Context by Brenden Rensink		47
4		Stephen A. Douglas and the Kansas-Nebraska Act by James A. Rawley		67
5		Lincoln's Firebell: The Kansas-Nebraska Act by Phillip S. Paludan		93
6		Frederick Douglass and the Kansas-Nebraska Act: From Reformer to Revolutionary by Tekla Ali Johnson		113
7		Unpopular Sovereignty: African American Resistance and Reactions to the Kansas-Nebraska Act by Walter C. Rucker		129
8		Where Popular Sovereignty Worked: Nebraska Territory and the Kansas-Nebraska Act by Nicole Etcheson		159
App		The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854		183
		Contributors		209
		Index		213

""The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854" offers a unique perspective on both the national impact of the bill and the history of the Great Plains."--Gary L./i>--Gary L. Cheatham "Great Plains Quarterly "

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