SWBAT identify the causes and effects of the

SWBAT: identify the causes and effects of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Homework: Fill in the “Bleeding Kansas” section of your organizer. Vocab quiz is Wednesday. Do Now: Is violence ever an acceptable way to protest injustice? This should be a thoughtful 4 -5 sentence response.

§ As early as 1844, there was a push to organize the territory west of Iowa and Missouri into states. § The question was: once they become states, what would be done about slavery? § Sen. Stephen Douglas and other democrats believed the best way to decide this was by popular sovereignty: § Letting the people decide on an issue themselves. § What seemed liked the most democratic way of solving the issue also posed some big problems.

§ Problem 1: If Nebraska entered alone, it would disrupt the balance of free and slave states. § Solution: create 2 states- Nebraska and Kansas. § Problem 2: Nebraska Territory lay north of the Missouri Compromise line of 36 30’ and therefore was legally closed to slavery. § Solution: repeal the Missouri Compromise. § This did not go over well with Northerners in Congress.

§ In Jan. 1854, Douglas introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act: § Created 2 territories: Nebraska in the north and Kansas in the south. § Would repeal the Missouri Compromise and establish popular sovereignty for both territories. § Battle over the Kansas-Nebraska act turned ugly and inspired thousands of US citizens to write to their Congressmen either for or against the act. § However with the help of President Franklin Pierce, a Democrat elected in 1852, Douglas steered his proposal through the Senate. § After months of struggle and strife, the Kansas-Nebraska Act became law in May 1854. § All eyes turned west ward to watch and see what popular sovereignty would bring to these new areas.

§ From both the North and the South, settlers poured into the Kansas Territory and by March 1855, Kansas had enough settlers to hold an election. § Hoping to elect as many pro-slavery legislators as possible, thousands of “border ruffians” from the slave state of Missouri crossed into Kansas with their revolvers and voted illegally. § They won a fraudulent majority for the proslavery candidates, who set up a government at Lecompton and promptly issued a series of proslavery acts. § Furious over events in Lecompton, abolitionists organized a rival government in Topeka in fall 1855.

§ Antislavery settlers had founded a town in Kansas named Lawrence. § A proslavery grand jury in town condemned Lawrence’s inhabitants as traitors and called on the local sheriff to arrest them. § On May 21, 1856, a proslavery posse of 800 armed men swept into Lawrence to carry out the grand jury’s will. § The posse burned down the antislavery headquarters, destroyed two newspapers’ printing presses, and looted many houses and stores. § Abolitionist newspapers dubbed the event “the sacking of Lawrence. ” § This would greatly impact one man to take action against proslavery settlers of Kansas. Ruins of Free State Hotel after the attack

§ When the news of events in Lawrence reached John Brown, an abolitionist from New York, he felt compelled to take action. § Brown believed that God had called on him to fight slavery. § He also had the mistaken impression that the proslavery posse in Lawrence had killed five men. § Brown was set on revenge. On May 24 th, he and his followers pulled five men from their beds in the proslavery settlement of Pottawatomie Creek, and killed them. § Became known as the “Pottawatomie Massacre. ” § The massacre triggered dozens of incidents throughout Kansas and some 200 people were killed. § John Brown fled Kansas, but the violence continued. § People began calling the territory Bleeding Kansas, as it had become a violent battlefield in a civil war.

§ Read source 1 on the document that was shared with you and answer the question that follows in complete sentences. § DO NOT READ SOURCES 2 -4. We will get to these next week. § Be prepared to share your answer. § If you finish with time to spare, fill in “Bleeding Kansas” on your organizer. This is homework if you don’t get to it.