In 1854 President Franklin Pierce faced a critical choice. Should he support the Kansas-Nebraska proposal, which gave local settlers the right to determine whether or not slavery would be permitted? Should he maintain the Missouri Compromise, which banned slavery in these territories? Or, since any decision would impact the economy, should practical considerations overrule moral rhetoric?
Author
Douglas Ley (New England Center for Civic Life)
Useful for
Broad-based community members
Educating public on issues
High schools
ForeverFree.pdf
(5,922
KB)