The Kansas-Nebraska Act, passed by congress on May 30, 1854, was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois and supported by Democratic President Franklin Pierce. The Act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which abolished slavery north of latitude 36° 30’. This gave the territories of Kansas and Nebraska the power to decide whether or not to allow slavery within its borders by popular sovereignty. One of the most debated topics in United States history is who should be assigned the blame for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The author, Senator Douglas, was a prominent supporter of the Missouri Compromise, but he also sponsored the bill that repealed it. Consequently, Senator Douglas is often blamed for the aftershock of the Kansas-Nebraska Act such as rebirthing the slavery debate and starting the Civil War. In some instances, President Franklin Pierce is also blamed for his part in the act. Pierce, a northern democrat, was a supporter of the act, but his role is unclear. It is evidently clear that President Pierce and Senator Douglas both suffered in terms of respect after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
For years, historians have debated over who is to blame for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. On one side, Robert W. Johannsen argues Stephen Douglas is to blame because he was “ambitious for political power and the presidency, he disturbed the national calm and injected the disruptive issue of slavery once again into national politics.” By repealing the Missouri Compromise and introducing the possibility of slavery north of the line, Douglas restarted the slavery debate that caused the nation to divide.
On the contrary, Donald B. Cole argues that President Franklin Pierce is to blame for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He claims that President Pierce “sold out to the South” in favor of slavery inferring that he could have stopped the passage of the act with presidential action. Instead, Pierce was a strong supporter of the act. This made the Northern Democrats that elected him very upset. In fact, it was stated “upon returning to Concord, New Hampshire in 1857 after four years as President, he was met with a hostile reception.” The Northern Democrats blamed Pierce for the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the consequences that followed such as the divisive political climate the country faced.
While reading Cole’s article, it initially appeared as very persuasive. In the article, he uses a letter, claiming to be written by Pierce to show the distaste of the former President. During a trip to Michigan, the local postmaster intercepted a letter. The letter supposedly claimed Pierce was a part of the anti-war movement. Subsequently, the letter was sent to Secretary of State, William H. Seward, who demanded an explanation from Pierce. The former president explained that the letter simply was fabricated and he was still loyal to the United States. Secretary Seward apologized, and Pierce believed the dispute had ended with the apology. However, the letter later appeared in the Detroit Tribune and later reprinted in the Boston Journal and the New York Evening Post. Pierce immediately wrote to Senator Milton Latham of California demanding the senate to conduct a congressional investigation. The letter eventually was proven to be a hoax ,but because of Pierce’s support of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, he was considered a failed president and his name would not be cleared. After further examining the article, it becomes clear that the work is lacking supporting citations. Although Cole does include a letter as a primary source, it is not enough evidence to substantiate the claim that President Franklin Pierce is to blame for the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
On the other hand, Johannsen has a multitude of sources, most of them being primary. His sources include but are not limited to: letters, scholarly articles, and House of Representatives Journals. In his article, he asserts Senator Douglas sparked a national debate on slavery and “the issue was settled on the battlefield after a prolonged and bloody war, the act assumed an even greater significance and its author received a large share of the blame for that conflict.” Johannsen is implying the author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Stephen Douglas, had a role in starting the Civil War. The author is very persistent with his argument that Douglas is to blame for the Kansas-Nebraska Act, but he points out that people often overlook the Missouri Compromise when debating the act. He even goes so far as to admire Douglas’ work with poplar sovereignty by writing, “few historians have recognized the sincerity of Douglas’ belief in popular sovereignty or of the part it played in his authorship of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.”
After analyzing both sides of the debate, I agree with the notion Senator Stephen Douglas is to blame for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In my opinion, Douglas drafted the bill for reasons that all benefited him. First of all, he authored the bill because he was intrigued by the possibility of furthering his political career and was willing to do whatever it took to obtain the presidency. In doing so, he brought the slavery debate back to the national stage, which consequently led to the Civil War. Another reason Douglas drafted the act could have been his interest in expanding the transcontinental railroad into the west. With the territories of Kansas and Nebraska being created, it would mean rapid railroad expansion.
Summarily, Senator Stephen Douglas and President Franklin Pierce played a major role in the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. Senator Douglas authored the bill with unclear motives. In my opinion, he used the bill as an opportunity to spark a controversial slavery debate to further his political ambitions. Consequently, the debate caused uproar across the country that led to the United States Civil War. Another possible motive could have been the transcontinental railroad. Senator Douglas desperately wanted to expand the railroad into the west. By creating the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, it would allow for expansion of the railroad. Overall, the blame should be placed on Senator Stephen Douglas because he created a divisive political climate that sparked a national debate on slavery and was eventually resolved with a United States Civil War.