Question

In 1854 Stephen A. Douglas introduced this to the Senate, to allow states to enter the Union with or without slavery.

Answer 1

In 1854, Stephen A. Douglas introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act to the Senate. This legislation allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to determine for themselves whether they would allow slavery within their borders through the principle of popular sovereignty. The act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery in those territories, and it intensified the national debate over slavery, leading to significant conflict and violence in the ensuing years.