How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act indirectly wreck the Compromise of 1850?
This site will explain that conflict.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0827030.html
To understand how the Kansas-Nebraska Act indirectly wrecked the Compromise of 1850, we must first grasp the context and significance of both events.
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of laws passed by the United States Congress to resolve several disputes between the North and the South regarding slavery. This compromise addressed the status of the newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War, such as California and New Mexico, and attempted to maintain a balance of power between free and slave states. It included measures like the admission of California as a free state, popular sovereignty in determining the status of slavery in the territories, a more stringent Fugitive Slave Act, and the abolition of the slave trade in Washington, D.C.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, enacted in 1854, organized the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and repealed the long-standing Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery in the northern region of the Louisiana Purchase territory. The Kansas-Nebraska Act introduced the concept of popular sovereignty, allowing settlers in these territories to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery.
Now, let's explore how the Kansas-Nebraska Act undermined the Compromise of 1850 indirectly:
1. Repeal of the Missouri Compromise: The Kansas-Nebraska Act's repeal of the Missouri Compromise inflamed tensions between the North and the South. The Missouri Compromise had succeeded in maintaining a tenuous balance between free and slave states, and its repeal reopened the divisive issue of slavery in the territories. This disregard for the compromise established in 1820 further strained the already fragile relationship between the North and the South.
2. Popular Sovereignty's Impact: The Kansas-Nebraska Act's introduction of popular sovereignty, allowing settlers to decide the status of slavery, created a major problem. This provision led to the formation of pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, resulting in armed conflict and violence known as "Bleeding Kansas." The potential for conflict unleashed by popular sovereignty revealed the limitations of this approach and reinforced the growing divide over the issue of slavery.
3. Increase in Regional Tensions: The violent events in Kansas amplified regional tensions and solidified the North-South divide over slavery. The Compromise of 1850 had aimed to temporarily ease these tensions, but the Kansas-Nebraska Act reignited them. The violence in Kansas further polarized both sides, making reconciliation and compromise more challenging.
In summary, the Kansas-Nebraska Act indirectly wrecked the Compromise of 1850 by repealing the Missouri Compromise, triggering violence and division in Kansas, and reigniting regional tensions over the issue of slavery.