This term refers to the period of repeated outbreaks of violent guerilla warfare between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This act mandated popular sovereignty, allowing residents of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide on the issue of slavery through a vote. This effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had previously limited the expansion of slavery. The ensuing influx of pro-slavery “border ruffians” from Missouri and anti-slavery “free-staters” into Kansas to sway the vote resulted in widespread electoral fraud, intimidation, and violence. For instance, the sacking of Lawrence, a free-state town, and the Pottawatomie Massacre, led by abolitionist John Brown, are prime examples of the brutality characterizing this era.
The significance of these events lies in the escalation of sectional tensions that led to the American Civil War. The failure of popular sovereignty to peacefully resolve the slavery issue demonstrated the deep divisions within the nation and fueled radicalization on both sides. It highlighted the inability of political compromise to address the fundamental moral and economic conflict surrounding slavery. Moreover, the events in Kansas contributed to the demise of the Whig Party and the rise of the Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery.
