What were the terms of the Kansas-Nebraska act?

An explicit repeal of the Missouri Compromise, opening the territory to slavery.

It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act, passed by the United States Congress on May 30, 1854, had several key provisions:

1. It repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery north of latitude 36°30' within the Louisiana Purchase territory.

2. It divided the region into two territories: Kansas and Nebraska. Each territory was given the right to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty, allowing settlers within each territory to determine whether to permit or prohibit slavery.

3. The Act was intended to facilitate the construction of a transcontinental railroad, with the route to be determined by a potential northern or southern terminus. This aspect of the Act was particularly important for the economic development of the region.

Overall, the Kansas-Nebraska Act effectively overturned the long-standing compromise on the issue of slavery in the territories, leading to increased tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions and contributing to the outbreak of violence in the region, including the events known as "Bleeding Kansas."