nov 15, 1854 - Kansas-Nebraska Act (Bleeding Kansas)

Description:

The Kansas-Nebraska Act, which was first created by Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois, was an act that would create the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. However, there was debate on the statuses of the new territories, whether they be a free state or a slave state. A new idea arose, the idea of popular sovereignty, which meant that the people living in this territory got to decided what kind of state it would be. This led to armed conflict, as Pro-Slavery and Anti-Slavery soldiers clashed to see who would control over it. The fighting ended when the territory was deemed a free state. This entire conflict resulted in the destruction of the two national parties at the time, as the nation was torn by the issues of slavery and expansion. This led to the creation of the new Third Party system in the same year, which established the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, and the less popular, Popular Party.