How did the Kansas Nebraska Act increase Sectional Tension? 1. Nebraska was north of latitude 36o30’, and only States in that area could enter the Union as Free States. Therefore, Southern Politicians, who were not keen to Nebraska developed, made large efforts to delay granting territorial status to Nebraska. 2. Douglas was so keen to make Nebraska a territory, as it would needed the land to build a railroad through it. 3. Douglas proposed a bill to organize most of the remaining part of the Louisiana Purchase north of 360-30’ as the Nebraska Territory. 4. Sectional Politics made railway planning so controversial because the Southerners did not want to give Chicago a commercial advantage over Southern States like St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, Natchez or New Orleans. 5. Douglas was motivated by the fact that he had twice failed to put forward a Nebraska bill that would win the votes of his Southern colleagues. In order to get the bill enacted, Douglas would need the support of the Southerners, who were only likely to vote if they felt they had a chance of expanding slavery in this area.

1. Douglas proposed the creation of two territories- Kansas, and Nebraska. Kansas was likely to become a slave state and Nebraska free. The bill also stipulated that the people of these territories, and not Congress would make the final decision on the future of slavery, through popular sovereignty. 2. Pierce accepted the proposition due to pressure from a delegation led by Douglas and Jefferson Davis. 3. Free-Soilers opposed the act so strongly as they believed it was a “gross violation of a sacred pledge, as a criminal betrayal of precious rights, as part and parcel of an atrocious plot”.