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Introduction
In the early to mid 1800’s tensions were beginning to rise over the expansion of slavery. The country was expanding and adding new states and every time they had to decide if it would be a slave state or free state. When this issue developed in Missouri, The US having received from the Louisiana Purchase, the government had to address the slave state free state ratio that would maintain governmental balance. Missouri wanted to be brought in as a slave state but that would give them a majority in the senate changing decisions involving slavery. The government agreed on a compromise that would bring Missouri in as a slave state and Maine as a free state; a line was established at the 36-30 parallel that limited the expansion of slavery to below it. This maintained the slave state free state balance and outlined the expansion of slavery for the future but the real conflict was not addressed. The Missouri compromise provided a temporary solution and divided the country in half.
The Onset
The tension between slave and free state was about to reach a peak, then two more territories acquired from the Louisiana Purchase decided to apply for statehood. The government didn’t know how to admit the states and if they should be slave states or free states. Stephen Douglas introduced the Kansas Nebraska Act to try to expand the country westward in a peaceful way. According to the act Kansas and Nebraska would decide on slavery through popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is when the people decide for themselves; in this case it was over the issue of slavery. A vote would be held in both states to decide what will happen.
The First Vote
It was highly likely that Nebraska would become a free state without debate but Kansas could go either way. Both sides wanted to gain a state that supported them so pro slavery, many from the bordering state of Missouri, and anti slavery supporters went into Kansas to attempt to influence the vote. There was no effective way to identify if someone had voted already so people would change their appearance and continue voting. Pro slavery candidate John Whitfield was elected as the territory’s delegate to Congress ("Bleeding Kansas"). Most of the people already living in Kansas did not own any slaves and just wanted to be able to live peacefully without this struggle over slavery. The supporters of slavery in Kansas wanted to make more money by expanding slavery, and People against slavery wanted to stop the expansion of slavery in whatever way possible.
The Violence
After the first territorial election pro slavery state legislature was elected. People against slavery didn’t want to accept this and armed themselves in preparation for conflict. John Brown was an abolitionist that used violence in an attempt to get rid of slavery. On May 24, 1856 John Brown and 7 other men confronted slavery supporters, dragging five men out of their homes and killing them. These acts of violence became known as Bleeding Kansas. In an attempt to stop bleeding Kansas Charles Sumner, a senator, advocated for the repealment of the Kansas Nebraska Act and the admission of Kansas as a free state, limiting the spread of slavery. Representative Preston Brooks took offense to Sumner’s statements against slavery and his cousin. On May 22, 1856 Brooks beat Sumner unconscious with a cane while other senators watched. James Buchanan wanted the issue to be resolved so he asked congress to accept the pro slavery lecompton constitution. Congress compromised and sent the Lecompton Constitution to a vote in Kansas. In this vote free staters won and slavery was not allowed in Kansas.
The Consequence
Bleeding Kansas caused tensions over slavery to rise leading to the Civil War a few years later. During the conflict caused by the Kansas Nebraska Act the government showed that they could not resolve issues involving slavery peacefully; The violence had even spread into Congress. Bleeding Kansas acted like practice for the Civil War and everyone picked a side before the war even started. Because of the widespread knowledge of the events in Kansas people became angry about expanding or not expanding slavery causing the government to have to actually confront the issue. Lincoln decided to run for president because he wanted the country to be more united and the federal government needed the power to further that goal. The southern states didn’t like that Lincoln threatened their state rights so they seceded. The north couldn’t allow that to happen so the Civil War started.
Bibliography
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