America in the 1850s1854 |
If 1852 was the “year of the book,” then why is the year 1854 so well known? |
Two reasons why 1854 became so well known in the annals of the Civil War are as follows. The first has to do with a piece of legislation; the second has to do with an escaped slave.
Illinois’ Senator Stephen A. Douglas (1813–1861) proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which would effectively make the Missouri Compromise outdated. Many historians regard the passage of the Act as a major factor in leading the country into war.