Bleeding Kansas - what? Reactions from pro and anti-slavery groups, John Brown.

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Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent political confrontations in the United States between 1854 and 1859, primarily over the issue of slavery in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The conflict arose after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which allowed the settlers of those territories to determine through popular sovereignty whether they would allow slavery.

### Key Points:

1. **Background**:
   - The Kansas-Nebraska Act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery in that part of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36°30′ parallel.
   - The act led to a rush of both pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers into Kansas, each group hoping to influence the decision on slavery.

2. **Pro-Slavery Reactions**:
   - Pro-slavery advocates, often referred to as "Border Ruffians," came from neighboring Missouri to vote illegally in Kansas elections and to intimidate anti-slavery settlers.
   - They established a pro-slavery government in Lecompton, which was recognized by President Franklin Pierce.
   - Violence erupted as pro-slavery forces attacked anti-slavery settlements, leading to significant bloodshed.

3. **Anti-Slavery Reactions**:
   - Anti-slavery settlers, known as "Free-Staters," formed their own government in Topeka, rejecting the pro-slavery government.
   - They organized resistance against pro-slavery forces, leading to violent confrontations, including the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, by pro-slavery forces in 1856.
   - The anti-slavery movement gained support from abolitionists across the North, who viewed the violence in Kansas as a moral crisis.

4. **John Brown**:
   - John Brown was a radical abolitionist who believed in using violence to end slavery.
   - In response to the violence against anti-slavery settlers, Brown and his followers carried out a retaliatory attack known as the Pottawatomie Massacre in May 1856, where they killed five pro-slavery settlers.
   - Brown's actions made him a controversial figure; he was hailed as a hero by some abolitionists and vilified by pro-slavery advocates.
   - His radical approach to abolitionism would later culminate in his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, which aimed to incite a slave rebellion.

### Conclusion:
Bleeding Kansas was a significant precursor to the American Civil War, highlighting the deep divisions in the country over the issue of slavery. The violent confrontations and the involvement of figures like John Brown underscored the lengths to which individuals and groups would go to fight for their beliefs, setting the stage for the larger conflict that would follow.
Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent conflicts from 1854 to 1859 over slavery in Kansas and Nebraska. Pro-slavery groups from Missouri illegally voted and attacked anti-slavery settlers, while anti-slavery settlers formed their own government and resisted. John Brown, a radical abolitionist, carried out violent actions against pro-slavery forces. These events highlighted deep divisions over slavery and foreshadowed the American Civil War.

Bleeding Kansas - what? Reactions from pro and anti-slavery groups, John Brown.

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