Why Did the Kansas-Nebraska Act Cause a Rush of Settlers?

What led to the urgent demands to organize the western territories in the 1850s?

A. The Missouri Compromise line

B. The Kansas-Nebraska Act

C. The Ohio senator's denouncement of the bill

D. The publication of Charles Sumner's antislavery coalition

Answer:

The urgent demands to organize the western territories in the 1850s were driven by the need to address the issue of slavery as new territories were being established.

During the 1850s, there was a pressing need to organize the western territories, particularly the Nebraska territory, which lay north of the 1820 Missouri Compromise line where slavery was prohibited. This led to the introduction of the Kansas-Nebraska Act by Senator Stephen Douglas.

The Act caused a rush of settlers into Kansas at a faster rate than before because it allowed the settlers in those territories to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery, instead of it being determined by the federal government. This provision led to a fierce debate between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.

The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act ultimately led to the intensification of the debate over slavery in the United States and played a significant role in the events leading up to the American Civil War.