Which political party formed in opposition to the expansion of slavery after the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

The Republican Party emerged in response to the growing tensions and conflicts surrounding the expansion of slavery, particularly highlighted by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. This act allowed territories to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery through popular sovereignty, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise. The Republican Party was founded in the mid-1850s by a coalition of former Whigs, Free Soilers, and anti-slavery Democrats who united around the goal of preventing the extension of slavery into the new territories.

This political realignment was driven by fears that the expansion of slavery would undermine the principles of freedom and equality that many Americans valued, leading to a significant shift in the political landscape of the time. The party rapidly gained support in the North, positioning itself as the primary opposition to the pro-slavery forces and advocating for a vigorous response to the issue of slavery's expansion.

The Democratic Party at that time was more divided on the issue of slavery, with many of its members supporting the expansion of slavery into the territories. The Know-Nothing Party focused primarily on nativist sentiments and had less to do with the slavery issue itself, while the Liberty Party, founded earlier in the 1840s, primarily served as a