Kansas-Nebraska Act: Compare and Contrast

Kansas-Nebraska Act: Compare and Contrast

Abraham Lincoln's "Peoria Speech" (October 16, 1854)

Guess who really didn't like Stephen Douglas' inclusion of the "popular sovereignty" stuff in the Kansas-Nebraska Act? That's right – future POTUS Abraham Lincoln.Honest Abe gave this speech just...

Charles Sumner's "The Crime Against Kansas" (May 19-20, 1856)

Here's something we don't see every day: A United States Senator being caned (i.e. beaten up with a walking stick) into unconsciousness on the Senate floor by a United States Congressman.But t...

Andrew Jackson's "On Indian Removal" (December 6, 1830)

Slavery strife wasn't the only issue plaguing the people of Kansas and Nebraska during the 1850s. As a result of the Indian Removal Act, passed in 1830, many Native American tribes had been forcibl...

Constitution of the State of Nebraska (March 1, 1866)

Slam-bolted together with serious speed by the Nebraska Legislature and approved by the Governor a mere five days later, the State's first Constitution might be one of the fastest government docume...

Wyandotte Constitution (July 29, 1859)

It took Kansas four tries to write up a constitution that the voters as well as the U.S. House, Senate, and President would approve, thus allowing it to finally become a state.The Wyandotte Constit...