What contributed to the events of "Bleeding Kansas"?
1 Answer
The passage of popular sovereignty
Explanation:
The legalization of the concept that the people of a state could vote to be admitted as a free state or a slave state precipitated the conflicts that created bleeding Kansas
First large number of people from the slave state of Missouri came to Kansas for the sole purpose of voting in a slave state. These were known as the border ruffians. Some of these people terrorized those in favor of a free state attempting a type of "political cleansing".
Then a large number of people from the northeast came to Kansas to turn Kansas into a free state. These free soil set up a rival capital in Topeka. The free staters avocated armed resistance to the actions of the proslavery forces. Henry Ward Beecher armed the free soil forces with Sharps rifles. The free staters published lurid articles condemning the proslavery population.
The proslavery forces raided Lawrence a center of the anti slavery forces. The printing presses were destroyed and large parts of the town were burned to the ground. People were injured but no one was killed.
Anti slavery forces under the command of John Brown, in response murdered a number of pro slavery settlers. Five proslavery men from Pottawortonie Creek were dragged from their homes and hacked to death.
The efforts of each group to influence the popular sovereignty votes lead to violence and counter violence in bleeding Kansas. 56 people would be murdered before the violence could be stopped.
