The Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854 turns upside down the traditional way of thinking about one of the most important laws ever passed in American history. The act that created Nebraska and Kansas also, in effect, abolished the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery in the region since 1820. This bow to local control outraged the nation and led to vicious confrontations, including Kansas s subsequent mini-civil war. The essays in this volume shift the focus from the violent and influential reaction of Bleeding Kansas to the role that Nebraska played in this decisive...