The movement to organize Nebraska Territory arose directly from the conflict between the United States and Great Britain for the possession of the Oregon country. The name "Nebraska" derived from the Otoe name, "Ne-brath-ka," or Shallow Water, for the Platte river, was first suggested by Lieut. Fremont in 1843, recommended by Secretary-of-War Wilkins in 1844 and adopted by Stephen A. Douglas who introduced bills for the or ganization of the territory in 1844, 1848 and 1852. In a provisional Territorial Government was formed by Wyandot Indians and licensed white residents on Indian lands. A delegate was elected to Congress, but not seated. The final Kansas Nebraska bill, providing for two territories, became the centre of an intense struggle in Congress between the North and South, involving the extension of slavery, the removal of Indians and rival routes for the proposed Pacific railway. The bill, signed on May 3o, 1854, by President Franklin Pierce, repealed the Mis souri Compromise of 182o, provided that the new territories should be slave or free as voted by citizens in each, and reopened the fierce sectional conflict between the North and South. The con flict split the Democratic Party, destroyed the Whig Party, led to the organization of the new Republican Party and to the series of events leading to the Civil War.
Nebraska Territory, as organized in 1854, included the vast region from the 40° N. lat. to British America, and from the Missouri and White Earth rivers to the summit of the Rocky mountains. In 1861 and 1863 it was reduced by the creation of other territories to nearly its present boundaries, the only im portant change since then being the annexation in 1890 of what is now Boyd county. White settlers in the territorial period (1854-67) were chiefly in a narrow strip along the Missouri river, with isolated ranches westward along the Platte valley and the Oregon trail. The enactment by Congress in 1862 of the Union Pacific Railroad Act and the Free Homestead Act aided white settlement, the first claim under the Free Homestead Act being located in Nebraska, on Jan. 1, 1863 In 1861 there were prob ably 30,00o inhabitants in the territory and 3,300 men from Nebraska were enlisted for the Union army in the Civil War. The great industry in this period was transport by the overland trail. Rival routes from Kansas City, St. Joseph, Leavenworth, Atchison, Nebraska City and Omaha, converged at Ft. Kearny on the Platte. Freight carried over these trails amounted to 200,000 tons in 1865. Over them ran the overland stage coaches, carrying passengers, and in 1860-61, the famous "Pony Express," whose service ended with the completion of the over land telegraph in the latter year. This trail transportation business terminated in Nebraska with the construction of the Union Pacific railway in The legislature first met in Omaha on Jan. 16, 1855, and an nually thereafter, during the territorial period. Important early legislation related to land claims, bank charters, schools, prohi bition and woman suffrage. A fight for the location of the capital between rival towns of the Missouri river front, Bellevue, Brown ville, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, Omaha and Florence resulted in Omaha holding the capital, but in the creation of a violent feud between the North and South Platte sections which continued for many years. An episode of this fight was the "Florence secession" of 1858, when a majority of the legislature deserted Omaha and adjourned their sessions to Florence. In 1858-59 the South Platte region held a convention, sent delegates and sought annexation to Kansas. Great speculation in town sites and lands culminated in 1857 in general distress and in the failure of all ter ritorial banks but one, $400,000 of bank notes becoming worthless.
as adopted, limited suffrage to free white males. Congress refused to admit Nebraska until the territorial legislature passed an act pledging that negroes would not be barred from the ballot. These terms of admission were accepted by Nebraska and carried in spite of President Johnson's veto, and Nebraska was proclaimed a State on March 1, 1867.
The South Platte region had a majority in the first State legis lature of 1867 and passed an act providing for the relocation of the capital in that section. Opponents of removal offered an amendment naming the capital "Lincoln," in order to make it distasteful to Democratic members from the South Platte region. The latter accepted the amendment and the capital commission on July 29, 1867, located and named the capital site at the little hamlet of Lancaster, on Salt creek.
The Democratic Party was the sole political party in Nebraska from 1854 to i858. The only political divisions were factions of that party. The Republican Party was first organized in the campaign of 1858. Slavery domination of the national adminis tration and especially President Buchanan's veto of the Free Homestead Act changed territorial politics, giving the Republicans control in 186o, which was firmly held by them until 189o. In that year the Farmers' Alliance organized the Peoples' Independent or Populist Party. A three-cornered fight resulted in the Democrats getting the governor, and the Farmers' movement a majority of the legislature. The Populists elected the governor in 1894 and in 1896, by fusion with the Bryan Democrats and Silver Repub licans swept the State. The Populist Party disintegrated after 1904, and thereafter political control fluctuated between the Democrats and Republicans although some economic radicalism continued to infuse the local psychology of both parties. Signifi cant in this regard have been the career of Mr. Norris in the national Senate, the election as governor in 193o of C. W. Bryan, brother of W. J. Bryan, and the experiment in unicameral legis lation begun in 1937. In 1932 and 1936 the State supported Roosevelt and the Democratic New Deal by overwhelming ma jorities. Without the Federal aid during the economic depression and the droughts of 1934 and 1936, Nebraska would have suffered more than she did ; farm prices, and business reached new lows; foreclosures and unemployment, unprecedented highs.