Bleeding Kansas

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History & Society

Bleeding Kansas

United States history

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 14, 2024 • Article History

Bleeding Kansas

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Category: History & Society

Date:: 1854 - 1859

Location:: United States; Kansas Territory

Key People:: Robert J. Walker

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Bleeding Kansas, (1854–59), small civil war in the United States, fought between proslavery and antislavery advocates for control of the new territory of Kansas under the doctrine of popular sovereignty. Sponsors of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (May 30, 1854) expected its provisions for territorial self-government to arrest the “torrent of fanaticism” that had been dividing the nation regarding the slavery issue. Instead, free-soil forces from the North formed armed emigrant associations to populate Kansas, while proslavery advocates poured over the border from Missouri. Regulating associations and guerrilla bands were formed by each side, and only the intervention of the governor prevented ...(100 of 340 words)

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