Bleeding Kansas: A Period of Civil Unrest

Bleeding Kansas

• A period of civil unrest and violence in the 1850s in what is now the state of Kansas
• Characterized by sectarian violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery advocates vying for political control in the newly forming state

Causes of Bleeding Kansas

• Growing contention regarding slavery, amplified by the westward expansion of the United States
• Northern states were politically oriented toward the abolition of slavery, while Southern states' economies largely depended on the slave system
• The ratification of new states became a volatile issue, with the South wanting new states to allow slavery and the North wanting slavery prohibited

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Passed in 1854, it set up the organization of the remaining land acquired through the Louisiana purchase
• Included the popular sovereignty provision, allowing states formed in the newly organized territory to decide for themselves on the issue of slavery
• Resulted in a land rush, with settlers from both sides of the slavery debate migrating to Kansas to influence its political demographics

Violence in Kansas

• Started in November 1855, with a standoff between opposing militias near the Wakarusa River
• Escalated in 1856, with scattered attacks from both sides, including the infamous "Border Ruffians" from Missouri
• The Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, and the Pottawatomie Massacre were notable events
• The violence culminated in August 1856 with the Battle of Osawatomie

Significance of Bleeding Kansas

• A harbinger of the U.S. Civil War, reflecting the growing tensions regarding slavery that were coming to a boil throughout the United States
• Showed that the debate over slavery could also turn violent at the national level
• Bleeding Kansas signaled to both sides that the issue could never be truly resolved cooperatively—or perhaps even peacefully

Aftermath

• Kansas became a free state in January 1861, with anti-slavery sentiment gaining the popular majority
• The election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in November 1860 was the final straw for many Southern states, leading to their secession from the U.S.