Bleeding Kansas



Bleeding Kansas was the period in history which got the attention of America , Not because it was bloody, but newspaper editorials (east and Kansas Newspapers) and politicians speeches. Because in the end only about 55 people died violently in six years. Mostly of it was based on politics playing an unnecessary violence in that period of time.

There were three groups. Two of them were close to the same though. It was free-staters, who were people against slavery, who settled in Kansas. Another one was the antislavery group. the antislavery group was people in America who were against slavery. Finally, the last one was proslavery, which was people in America who were for having blacks as property.

A new bill was introduced by Stephen A Douglas stating that Kansas and Nebraska were going to be decide by popular sovereignty to see if it was going to be a slave state or a free state. The act was called the Kansas and Nebraska act. But in the minds of some editors, ministers, and active abolitionist thought that the Kansas, Nebraska act was the worst thing to happen to Kansas in years.

1858 was the most violent out of the 6 yrs, The violence kept growing as people came from all over America to help their side in what they wanted Kansas to be (slave-state or free-state),

The leader of the free state Movement Montgomery, was also involved in several violent acts. John Brown who was against proslavery, He and his sons at Pottawatomie Creek Killed 5 proslavery 'advocates. Also Franklin Coleman (a proslavery man) killed Chales W. Dow ( a free-stater). A friend of Charles W. Dow who attended a free-stater protest and got arrested by the pro-slavery authorities. He was later rescued by sheriff sone. This started the Wakarusa War. Something else kind of similar happened when Jones arrested several free-staters to get even after he got shot and wounded. He put the free-staters he arrested in jail at Lecompton. He did not find some of the free-staters he was looking for. Reeder (one of the people he was looking for got out disguised as a wood cutter. Plus in an attempt to try to burn down the western hotel on June 1858 a few shots were freed into and at the surrounding houses.

Bogus laws passed by the legislature included the Missouri slave codes, which provide severe benculties for those who freed slaves or spoke out against slaveholding. The free-staters called them bogus because of the illegal election and they decidedto organize a separate government.

Kansas in the 1800's Represented land which was very important to America. Whether it was white workers or Amy one, it meant a chance to freely own land and move west. They didn't want it to be occupied by slave holders, slaves, or free blacks because then that would mean them having a small population nomater who they were Many Midwesterner slates like Indiana and Ohio did not allow slaves into their state. The free-soil Movement was run by the Republicans Party. It wanted to keep the land free of slavery, and still maintain the land for free whit labor.

There were several attempts to write a conatition. The first one the Republicans refused to vote, the second one the democrats refused to vote. There was one more, but finally in 1861 one was written. The federal government mold. It served al the basis for Kansas government. From then to now! even though the unfortunate omission.

Bleeding Kansas was apart of a political storm that happen throughout America before the civil war, There were two governments that cheated the votes and fought over the land until 1851 even Kansas became a free-state on January 29th, the 6 year was the era known as Bleeding Kansas


Bibliography
Bleeding Kansas http://www.nps.gov/fosc/bleeding.htm May 9 2005


Bleeding Kansas www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4i3o91.htm May 13 2005


Bleeding Kansas Land of the contrast second By Richmond, Roberts W May 11 2005


Bleeding Kansas http://www.nps.gov/fosc/FORT/Museum/blks1.htm May 17 2005


Bleeding Kansas http://www.redhookcentralschools.org/FleischmanSocialStudies/CivilWarWebQuest/bleedingkansas.htm May 17 2005

Jami Thompson 8th Grade History Spring Project