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The Bleeding Kansas conflict was resolved through a series of compromises, most notably the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This act allowed for popular sovereignty in the territories, meaning that the settlers would vote on whether or not to allow slavery.
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Introduction
The Bleeding Kansas conflict was a protracted civil war that began in 1854 and ended in 1861. The conflict was fought between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the Kansas Territory, which had been established as a free state by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The violence of the conflict was exacerbated by the presence of armed militias from both Missouri and Kansas.
The violence reached its peak in May 1856, when proslavery forces raid the town of Lawrence, Kansas, and burned it to the ground. In response, anti-slavery militias from across the territory converged on Lawrence andUser: defend it against further attack. This clash became known as the Battle of Black Jack.
TheBleeding Kansas conflict escalated further in early 1857, when proslavery forces attacked and sacked the town of Osawatomie. In response, John Brown, an antislavery militant, led a raid on a proslavery settlement at Pottawatomie Creek, where he and his men killed five men with knives and axes.
The violence of the Bleeding Kansas conflict finally came to an end in 1861, when Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state. However, the legacy of Bleeding Kansas would live on in the form of the American Civil War, which began just a few years later.
The Causes of the Bleeding Kansas Conflict
The Bleeding Kansas conflict was a result of the fight over slavery in the United States. The conflict began when Kansas was admitted into the Union as a free state, but there were already many slaveholders in the state. This led to violence and eventually to the Civil War.
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, passed in 1820. The Compromise prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the 36° 30′ parallel, except within the boundaries of the state of Missouri.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1854 and allowed for the organization of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The act was a response to the issue of slavery, which had been a point of contention in the United States since its founding. The act allowed for popular sovereignty, which meant that the residents of each territory would vote on whether or not to allow slavery. This led to a flood of settlers into Kansas, both pro- and anti-slavery, which led to violence and eventually resulted in Kansas being admitted to the Union as a free state.
The Course of the Bleeding Kansas Conflict
The Bleeding Kansas conflict was a series of violent events that took place in the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory during the 1850s. The conflict was sparked by the debate over whether or not Kansas would be admitted to the Union as a slave state or a free state. The violence in Kansas culminated in the sack of Lawrence by proslavery forces in May 1856, and the Pottawatomie massacre in May 1856. The conflict also spilled over into the Nebraska Territory, where the town of Brownville was raided by proslavery forces in October 1856.
The Election of 1855
The first statewide election in Kansas Territory was held in March 1855. It resulted in a triumph for the pro-slavery party, which swept every county except one. The anti-slavery party boycotted the election, claiming that it was rigged.
In May, the pro-slavery territorial legislature convened in Shawnee Mission and passed a series of Reconstruction-like laws, known as the “Bogus Laws.” These laws were designed to effectively nullify the Kansas-Nebraska Act by making it impossible for Kansas to be admitted to the Union as a slave state.
The Bogus Laws included provisions such as:
-A ban on free blacks from entering the territory
-Making it illegal to publish any antislavery material in Kansas
-Making it illegal to utter any antislavery sentiments
In response to the Bogus Laws, an antislavery convention was held in Topeka in October 1855. This convention drafted a “Free State Constitution” that prohibited slavery and nullified the Bogus Laws. The Free State Constitution was put to a vote on December 15, 1855, and it passed by a wide margin.
However, pro-slavery forces refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Free State Constitution or the government that was elected under it. In early January 1856, they set up their own government in Lecompton,Kansas Territory. This government was recognized by President Franklin Pierce’s administration as the legitimate government of Kansas Territory.
The Wakarusa War
In 1855, the settlers in Kansas Territory elected a pro-slavery legislature, which repeal bans on slavery in the territory. This caused anger among the anti-slavery settlers, who responded by electing their own government. The two governments set up rival capitals, and the situation quickly deteriorated into violence. The Wakarusa War was a brief conflict that erupted in 1855 over the issue of slavery in Kansas Territory. It was fought between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces and ended with the withdrawal of the pro-slavery forces from the territory.
The Sack of Lawrence
On May 21, 1856, a proslavery mob destroyed much of the town of Lawrence, Kansas in what has come to be known as the Sack of Lawrence. The attack was in retaliation for the destruction of a proslavery newspaper office in the town earlier that month. The violence continued throughout the summer, with both sides committing atrocities against civilians. In August, a group of abolitionists led by John Brown killed five proslavery settlers near Pottawatomie Creek in an act of revenge for similar killings of free-staters.
The violence reached its apex in early October when abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner was beaten nearly to death on the floor of the Senate by Congressman Preston Brooks. This event, known as caning, caused outrage in the North and further increased tensions between the two sides.
By 1858, it became clear that neither side was willing or able to achieve victory through violence and the conflict began to wind down. In 1859, John Brown led a raid on Harper’s Ferry in an attempt to start a slave rebellion, but he was captured and hanged. This event effectively ended the Bleeding Kansas conflict as both sides turned their attention to the growing sectional crisis that would eventually lead to the Civil War.
The Aftermath of the Bleeding Kansas Conflict
The Bleeding Kansas conflict was a time of great turmoil and violence. After the conflict had ended, there was much to be done in order to heal the divisions that had been created. In this heading, we will discuss the aftermath of the conflict and how it was eventually resolved.
The Lecompton Constitution
In January 1858, pro-slavery forces in Kansas Territory responded to the impending admission of Kansas as a free state by drafting the Lecompton Constitution. This constitution enshrined slavery in the territory and was seen as a victory for the South. Although the Lecompton Constitution was never ratified by the people of Kansas, it deeply divided the nation and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.
The Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision was a Supreme Court case that decided that African Americans could not be citizens of the United States and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. The decision was made in 1857, and it contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.
The case began when a slave named Dred Scott sued for his freedom. Scott argued that he should be free because he had lived in a free state (Illinois) and a free territory (Minnesota). The Supreme Court ruled against Scott, stating that African Americans could not be citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
This decision infuriated both abolitionists and those who supported slavery, and it contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. The war eventually led to the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery.
Conclusion
The Bleeding Kansas conflict was resolved through a combination of violence and political maneuvering. The violence came to an end when the pro-slavery forces were defeated at the Battle of Osawatomie in 1856. The political maneuvering came in the form of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which was passed by Congress in 1854. This act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and it also repealed the Missouri Compromise.
