In the early months of 1854 the contentious issue of slavery spreading into America’s western territories once again reared its head after a brief respite following the Compromise of 1850 and the so-called finality campaign of 1852 (between Democrat Franklin Pierce and Whig Winfield Scott). For decades American politicians, working through a very competitive national political party system, had worked tirelessly to avoid the divisive issue altogether or to craft a workable compromise position that would successfully put the matter to rest. In the span of a few short months, however, their collective efforts were negated by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.