Kansas-Nebraska ActBleeding Kansas

“A living, creeping lie.”

If Kansas should sink today, and leave a great vacant space in the earths surface, this vexed question [of slavery] would still be among usA. Lincoln

Today’s Goal Understand the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and understand

characters and the sequence of events in Kansas from 1854 until statehood in 1861.

Related Vocabulary Popular Sovereignty-The belief that the people living in a territory should decide for

themselves if the territory should become a slave state or free state

Freesoiler-A person who came to Kansas after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Border Ruffian- A person who was in favor of slavery and came across the border from Missouri to vote illegally in elections

Proslavery-People that were in favor of slavery and believed that Kansas should become a slave state

Antislavery-People that were not in favor of slavery and believed that Kansas should become a free state

Abolitionists-A radical that thought that slavery should be abolished or done away with because it was immoral

Land Speculators-People that obtained land in Kansas with the hopes of buying it at a low price and selling it at a high Price

Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854Repeals the Missouri Compromise

Includes the Idea of Popular Sovereignty

Drawn up by a senator by the name of Stephen Douglass

U.S. Map After the Act

Impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act Proslavery people and the

Antislavery people started to fight with each other over the issue of slavery

The Proslavery men wanted to vote to make sure Kansas would become a slave state

The Antislavery people wanted to vote to make sure Kansas would become a free state

Freesoilers came to Kansas in hopes of making Kansas a free state

Impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act Bleeding Kansas

This was the term that refers to the disagreement between the antislavery men and the proslavery men over control of Kansas

Pro & Anti Slavery Settlers Take Action The northern states organize groups of people to move to Kansas. These

people became known as freesoilers. Their only reason for moving to Kansas was to make sure Kansas would become a free state

Missouri organized what became known as Border Ruffians to come across the border and vote illegally in elections.

Two Territorial Governments

Pro Slavery Government

Proslavery men organized their government at Shawnee Mission

Anti-Slavery Government

Antislavery men organized their government at Lawrence

Each claimed to be the legitimate or correct government of Kansas and thought the other

should not be there

Bleeding Kansas Begins Samuel Jones-Proslavery Sheriff

who burned Lawrence in 1855

In the Wakarusa War, homes and businesses were burned along with the free-state Hotel. Several people were killed

Violence Continues

Two State Governments

Pro-Slavery Government

Located in Lecompton KS

Anti-Slavery Government

Located in Topeka KS

To the Victor Go the Spoils… Eventually enough free-soil people

had moved into Kansas as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that the government at Lecompton (pro-slavery) was voted out of office *Note that both northerners and

southerners believed that they could get the idea of popular sovereignty to work for them

How Bloody Was It?

Incident Total

Killed 0

Wounded, contusion of the nose 2

Missing 0

Captured 3

Frightened 5,718