It's December, 1857. Citizens in Kansas and across the United States hold contested visions of the terrritory’s future statehood, and fear that violent clashes over slavery in Kansas might foreshadow civil war between the nation’s free and slave states. Western expansion is popular and seems inevitable, but it also highlights our country’s deepening regional and political divisions. How can we shape our growing nation to heal, rather than exacerbate, the divisions among our citizens?

This issue guide was developed by the Autry Museum of the American West in collaboration with the Kettering Foundation as part of the Historic Decisions series. It is designed to stimu- late deliberation about a complex historical issue by examining the difficult choices Americans faced at the time.

In 1854 President Franklin Pierce faced a critical choice, one that would determine the fate of his presidency and have a profound impact on the future of the United States. 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 regarding slavery would have a significant impact the nation’s economic well-being, should practical considerations overrule moral rhetoric?

The United States is becoming increasingly diverse and more polarized as we struggle to address complex public problems such as immigration, health care, economic inequality, and America’s role in the world (Pew Research Center, 2017). As public trust in our political system waivers, U.S. college campuses are grappling with issues of inclusion, diversity, and freedom of speech (Rainie, Keeter, & Perrin, 2019). Conversations about free speech on campus are often framed in opposition to diversity and inclusion and have spawned controversies, protests, and even violence.