The Kansas-Nebraska Act had a significant impact on the issue of slavery in the United States. It led to the formation of the anti-slavery Republican Party and helped to polarize the country on the issue of slavery, setting the stage for the American Civil War.
Here are some of the specific ways that the Kansas-Nebraska Act affected slavery in new territory:
* It repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30′ parallel. This meant that slavery was now allowed in all of the Kansas and Nebraska territories.
* It allowed for the people in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves whether they would allow slavery or not. This was known as "popular sovereignty."
* The Kansas-Nebraska Act led to a conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in Kansas, known as Bleeding Kansas. The violence in Kansas helped to polarize the country on the issue of slavery.
* The debate over the Kansas-Nebraska Act also led to the formation of the Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery. The Republican Party eventually became the dominant political party in the United States and played a major role in the abolition of slavery.
In short, the Kansas-Nebraska Act had a profound impact on the issue of slavery in the United States. It helped to lead to the Civil War and the eventual abolition of slavery.