A temporary peace before civil war

'The Compromise of 1850 also allowed the United States to expand its territory by accepting California as a state. A territory rich in gold, agricultural products and other natural resources would create wealth and enrich the country as a whole. In order to transport goods and resources across the country Illinois Senator Stephen Douglass proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. His vision was to build a transcontinental railroad that would cross the country carrying larger quantities of goods from the west to the east with Illinois, his home state, as the eastern terminal.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was approved in 1854 and created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing its residents to decide whether to allow slavery or not by popular sovereignty. The unintended consequence was a rush of pro slavery and antislavery supporters to Kansas to vote for slavery or its repeal. The act nullified the 1820 Missouri Compromise as Kansas had been officially a slavery free territory. The result was a civil war in Kansas known as Bleeding Kansas, which was to be a prelude to the American Civil War. The Republican Party was created in response to the act and became the leading party in the north. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first Republican president of the United States.'

Effects and Significance of the Compromise of 1850