ear that his bill would render the Missouri compromise inoperative and void. Furthermore, the bill, as amended divided the region into two distinct territories. Douglas miscalculated grievously. He thought that reopening the slavery question would be a minor matter, even though he opposed slavery.”(Morrison pg. 586) Morrison shows in this statement that raising the issue of slavery once again was Ruiz 3no big thing for Douglas. He disregarded his beliefs over issues of slavery to get his billed passed. Theirs evidence of Douglas interest to obtain southern support even on Basset’s Short History of The United States. “[Douglas] favored a new territory in the region through which the proposed Pacific road would run, and he may have adopted Atchison’s idea because he saw it was the only way to get the support of the southerners.”(Basset pg.487)Most sources used showed evidence of motives why Douglas pushed this bill and had it passed and they all are similar in the way that they all thought Douglas was out to get the support of the Southerners for when his nomination for presidency came up. With the exception of Beard he had no evidence that insinuated that Douglas wanted the southern support. Douglas pushed the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, By opening up what had been Native American country to white settlement, Douglas hoped that the construction of a transcontinental railroad would run through his state rather than through the southern part of the country. The removal of the compromise of 1820, which restricted on the expansion of Ruiz 4slavery ensured southern support .The bill signed into law on May 30, 1854 by President Franklin Pierce.The act's passage split the Democratic Party and destroyed the already badly divided Whigs. Whig opposition to the measure practically ended support for that party in the South. The northern Whigs joined antislavery Democrats and know-nothings to form the Republican Party i...
