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31. "Bloody Kansas"

The Kansas-Nebraska Act and what followed it: the border ruffians, the sack of Lawrence, Pottawatomie Creek, and the caning of Charles Sumner.

31. "Bloody Kansas"

Some consider abolitionist John Brown a madman, others a martyred hero. For decades, both northern states and southern states had threatened secession and diss…

31a. The Kansas-Nebraska Act

Stephen Douglas, the sponsor of the Kansas-Nebraska Act as well as the most vocal supporter of popular sovereignty, was known as the "Little Giant" because of…

31b. Border Ruffians

Border Ruffian R.H. Wilson fought against the Free Soilers in Kansas and eventually joined the Confederate Army. The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act would l…

31c. The Sack of Lawrence

Artist UnknownThe Free State Hotel was left in ruins after the raid on Lawrence, Kansas in 1856. Lawrence was the center of Kansas's anti-slavery movement. It…

31d. The Pottawatomie Creek Massacre

PBSAt Pottawatomie Creek, five men were dragged from their cabins and massacred by John Brown and his sons. John Brown was not a timid man. A devout reader of…

31e. Canefight! Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner

United States SenatePreston Brooks beats Charles Sumner with a cane. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was an avowed Abolitionist and leader of the Repub…