BLEEDING KANSAS
30 MAY 1854: KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT
1. Organizes territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
2. Popular sovereignty to provide determination of slave/free status
of each.
3. Missouri Compromise repealed.
4. In all territorial court cases involving slavery, appeals might be
made to territorial courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.
1854: The Emigrant Aid Society
1. Organized by Eli Thayer.
2. Re-incorporated in 1855 as the New England Emigrant Aid Society.
3. Promotes settlement of anti-slavery groups in Kansas, with the
ultimate objective of making it a free state.
4. Founds Lawrence and other free-state communities in Kansas.
5. Active in Kansas until 1857, bringing in some 2000 settlers.
1855 on: Secret societies begin organizing in Missouri in an effort to
establish slavery in Kansas.
JUNE 1854: Andrew Reeder appointed the first territorial governor of Kansas.
29 NOV 54: Election of John W. Whitfield as the first territorial delegate to
Congress.
1. Extensive fraud and violence.
2. 1700 armed men from Missouri participate in and control
the election.
30 MAR 55: Elections for the first territorial legislature.
1. Population in Kansas, according to census: 8601.
2. Voters in Kansas, according to census: 2905.
3. 5000 armed Missourians participate in the elections and terrorize
free-state voters. Fraud and violence again.
4. Election results in a heavy pro-slavery majority in the legislature.
Pro-slavery candidates win by a total majority of 6307 votes.
5. Governor Reeder, under armed intimidation, allows election results to stand.
02 JULY 55: Legislature convenes.
1. Begins enacting laws to protect slavery.
2. Heavy penalties for anti-slavery activities.
3. Office-holders required to take an oath of support for slavery.
31 JULY 55: Pro-slavery leaders, having the ear of President Pierce, force the removal of Governor Reeder.
05 SEP 55: Convention of free-state citizens at Big Springs repudiates
territorial legislature as illegal and asks to be admitted to the union
under a free state constitution.
SEPT 55: Wilson Shannon, a pro-slavery Democrat from Ohio, arrives to take
office as new governor.
SEP-OCT 55: Mass meetings across state organize a Free-state party. Support,
including arms shipments, flows in from the North. Free-state forces
organize a military force, appointing James H. Lane as commander.
23 OCT-02 NOV 55: TOPEKA CONVENTION
1. Convention of Free-state delegates.
2. Draws up an anti-slavery constitution.
3. Draws up an ordinance prohibiting entry of any Negroes into the
territory.
4. Submits constitution and ordinance to popular vote.
01 OCT 55: Whitfield re-elected territorial delegate. Free-state citizens
boycott election.
09 OCT 55: Former Governor Reeder elected territorial delegate by Free-state
citizens. Pro-slavery citizens, of course, consider this election
invalid and do not participate.
26 NOV-07 DEC 55: WAKARUSA WAR:
1. Sporadic violence, shootings, and brawls around Lawrence.
2. 1500 Missourians advance on Lawrence, but return to Missouri when
they discover that it is heavy defended.
3. Intervention by Gov. Shannon terminates the conflict.
15 DEC 55: Popular referendum results in the approval of the Topeka Constitution
and of the anti-Negro ordinance. Pro-slavery citizens boycott the
referendum.
15 JAN 56: Elections under the Topeka Constitution produce a pro free-state
legislature and governor. Kansas now has two functioning governments,
each claiming to be the only legitimate government, each claiming that
the other is in rebellion against law and order.
24 JAN 56: In a special message to Congress, President Pierce condemns the
Topeka government as an act of rebellion. Pierce now makes it clear
that he supports the pro-slavery government.
21 MAY-15 SEP: Civil War
1. Skirmishes for a multitude of causes.
a. Free vs. slave-state.
b. Land speculators vs. squatters and would-be settlers.
c. Simple brawling and plundering often a motive.
2. Shipments of arms continue to both sides from outside.
3. 21 MAY 56: Lawrence sacked by pro-slavery forces and "Border Ruffians" (armed Missourians).
4. 24-25 MAY: John Brown kills 5 pro-slavery colonists near
Pottawatomie Creek in retaliation for pro-slavery depredations.
Free-state government disavows the act.
5. 04 JUN: Gov. Shannon orders all irregular armed bodies to disperse.
6. 13 AUG: Free-state forces seize the pro-slavery town of Franklin.
7. 18 AUG: SHANNON RESIGNS AS GOVERNOR. Daniel Woodson, of the pro-slavery faction, becomes Acting Governor.
8. 25 AUG: Acting governor Woodson proclaims Kansas in a state of
"open insurrection" and calls out the pro-slavery militia to put down
the rebellion.
9. 30 AUG: Pro-slavery forces attack Osawatomie, drive off free-state
forces under John Brown, and pillage the settlement.
10. 11 SEP: PRESIDENT PIERCE APPOINTS JOHN W. GEARY GOVERNOR.
11. 15 SEP: Gov. Geary, with Federal troops with him, turns back an army of 2500 "Border Ruffians" who were marching on Lawrence.
12. Geary and Federal troops bring uneasy peace to Kansas.
12 JAN-14 FEB 57: Pro-slavery legislature meets at Lecompton
1. Gov. Geary asks for thorough revamping of laws, provisions for genuinely free elections, and self-government. The legislature ignores his recommendations.
2. Legislature calls for a census enumeration and for elections for delegates to a constitutional convention, which will write a state constitution for Kansas to be presented for Congress as part of a petition for admission into the Union as a state.
3. Resolution calling for elections makes no provision for submission of the new constitution to the people for referendum.
4. Geary vetoes the call for elections, citing the lack of provisions for a referendum as his reason. The resolution is passed over his vote.
04 MAR 57: Gov Geary, complaining that the Pierce administration in Washington is not supporting his efforts to bring an impartial peace to Kansas, resigns.
26 MAR 57: New President James Buchanan appoints Robert J. Walker of Mississippi territorial governor to replace Geary.
26 MAR 57: Governor Walker, in his inaugural address, pledges that any constitution adopted by any convention would be submitted to a fair vote of the people.
15 JULY 57: Free-state convention meets in Topeka. Gov. Walker persuades Free-state leaders to participate in new election for a new legislature.
05 OCT 57: Territory-wide elections held for territorial legislature.
1. Closely supervised.
2. Fraud and violence minimized.
3. Territorial Secretary Frederick P. Stanton of Tennessee throws out
large numbers (in the thousands) of illegitimate pro-slavery ballots.
4. All parties participate in the elections.
5. Free-staters win heavy majorities in both houses of the legislature.
19 OCT-08 NOV 57: The convention for which the legislature had called in
January meets in Lecompton.
1. Draws up a pro-slavery constitution.
2. Refuses to submit constitution to the people for vote.
3. DOES draw up a special clause.
a. Article guarantees property in slaves.
b. Article to be submitted to people.
c. Rejection of the article would prohibit further entry of slaves
into Kansas, but slaves already existing would still be
guaranteed secure to their owners.
4. Provides that elections for the approval or rejection of the special clause are to be conducted by special officials named by the
convention, not by the territorial government.
5. Gov. Walker goes to Washington to discuss the matter with President Buchanan. Walker has pledged that any constitution will be put to a vote, and asks Buchanan's support, which the president has already pledged to give. Buchanan, however, reverses his pledge and declares that the Lecomptom convention is the proper constitutional body in Kansas.
17 DEC 57: Governor Walker resigns. Secretary Stanton becomes acting governor.
07 DEC 57: Free-state forces persuade Stanton to convene the legislature early.
21 DEC 57: Vote on Lecompton Constitution's special clause held.
1. Free-state men refuse to participate.
2. Results:
a. For the article: 6226 (2770 later proven fraudulent).
b. Against the article: 569.
DEC 57: Legislature (now controlled by Free-state party) calls for new election
on the Lecomptom Constitution, this time including a vote on the
constitution as a whole. (Stanton is later removed by Buchanan for
allowing the legislature to meet early and to call for this election.)
04 JAN 58: Election for approval of Lecomptom Constitution.
1. Pro-slavery forces boycott.
2. Results:
a. For the constitution with the special clause: 138.
b. For the constitution without the special clause: 24.
c. Against the entire constitution: 10,226.
02 FEB 58: Buchanan submits the Lecompton Constitution to Congress,
recommending the admission of Kansas as a slave state.
03 MAR 58: Senate votes 33-25 to admit Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution.
01 APR 58: Crittenden-Montgomery Amendment, providing for re-submission of the Lecompton Constitution to the people of Kansas for another vote,
passes the House of Representatives, 120-112.
30 APR 58: The English Bill.
1. Sponsored by Rep. William H. English of Indiana, on behalf of
Buchanan.
2. Provides for new election on Lecompton Constitution in Kansas.
3. If Lecompton Constitution is ratified:
a. Kansas will be admitted immediately into the Union.
b. Kansas will receive about 4 million acres of federal land and
5% of the income from about 2 million other acres to be sold by
the government.
4. If Lecompton Constitution is rejected, Kansas will have to wait for admission until a census shows at least 90,000 in the territory.
5. Passes House, 112-103; Senate, 31-11.
02 AUG 58: Elections under the English Bill.
1. For the Lecompton Constitution: 1,926.
2. Against the Lecompton Constitution: 11,812.
04 OCT 59: Kansas ratifies the free-state Wyandotte Constitution and applies
for admission to the union.
29 JAN 61: Kansas admitted to the union as a free state.