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In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and opened new lands for settlement. The act also nullified the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery in these territories.
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The Missouri Compromise of 1820
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was an agreement between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, in which Missouri would be admitted as a slave state and Maine would be admitted as a free state. The admission of Missouri into the Union would upset the balance between free and slave states, as there were an equal number of each at that time. The Compromise attempted to placate both sides by allowing slavery in Missouri but prohibiting it in the rest of the northern Louisiana Purchase territory.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 effectively nullified the Missouri Compromise by repealing the prohibition on slavery in the northern Louisiana Purchase territory. This led to increased tensions between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, and ultimately to the outbreak of the American Civil War.
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a set of bills that were passed in an attempt to pacify both the North and the South on the issue of slavery. The bills were: 1) The admission of California as a free state, 2) A more stringent Fugitive Slave Law, 3) The establishment of territorial governments for New Mexico and Utah without reference to slavery, and 4) The division of the southwestern territory acquired from Mexico into New Mexico and Utah.
The Fugitive Slave Law was nullified by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and opened them up to settlement by all.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was an American law that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and opened up the possibility of slavery in those regions. The act was passed by the US Congress on May 30, 1854, and was immediately denounced by anti-slavery activists. The Kansas-Nebraska Act nullified the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery in all US territories north of the 36°30′ parallel.
The Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead Act of 1862 was a United States federal law that granted 160 acres (65 ha) of public land to any citizen who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, had never borne arms against an enemy of the United States, and was at least 21 years old. The law required three months of continuous residence on the land before filing for ownership. The homesteader had to improve the land, which included building a dwelling and making other improvements such as planting trees.
The Act was passed during the American Civil War and became one of many measures passed by Congress in an attempt to modernize the United States. It was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1876 in Unlike earlier homestead acts, this one did not set a limit on the amount of land that could be acquired.
The Morrill Act of 1862
The Morrill Act of 1862 was nullified by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Morrill Act of 1862 was a federal law that granted each state public land to sell in order to fund colleges specializing in agriculture and mechanical arts. The law also required that these colleges be open to all students, regardless of race. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, passed in 1854, nullified the Morrill Act by allowing states to choose whether or not to allow slavery, effectively overturning the ban on slavery in public colleges.
