Sharing with the class
When Kansas Territory was being set up, several episodes of violence took place. This period is historically referred to as Bleeding Kansas. The main issue of contention was the boundary between regions that were supposed to be considered as free and enslaved territories. Before the violence began, the Kansas-Nebraksa Act was enacted in 1854. The new piece of legislation disregarded latitude use in detecting the borderline for sovereign and enslaved regions. The new law proposed the application of popular sovereignty. In other words, the determination of regions that were to be either enslaved or left sovereign was left in the hands of residents. In a bid to influence this radical proposal, the Kansas state was thronged by both the Free State settlers and proslavery activists. Since each group was seeking full control, violence erupted. There was no faction that was willing to give up its decision. The Harpers Ferry was raided by the abolitionist John Brown. The latter personality was also instrumental in leading fighters who were against slavery.
The antislavery publicists are believed to be instrumental behind the term ‘Bleeding Kansas.’ However, the New York Tribune also pointed out that Horace Greeley was the key personality behind the use of the terminology. A nationwide protracted political crisis erupted regarding the push for popular sovereignty. The violence began shortly after the Nebraska and Kansas regions were opened. The whole of Kansas was affected by the violence. Towards the end of 1855, opposing government authorities had already been founded in Kansas. The governments were linked to either the antislavery groups or the proslavery Missourians. The Pierce and Buchanan governments supported the pro-slavery Missourians. On the other hand, some northern Democrats and Republicans supported the antislavery groups. The war eventually led to the political polarization of the entire region. There were also several parties who were deeply fascinated by the slavery debate (Hullar and Nelson 87).
What you know about this event that you didn’t know before?
One of the issues emerging from this report is that Republicans did not support the issue of slavery. In fact, they were completely against the practice both in the northern and southern parts of the region. This is contrary to the popular historical belief that the Republicans always condoned acts of slavery because they were capitalists. Second, it has also emerged that in 1856, Lawrence town was looted in the course of the violence (A&E Television Networks par. 4). The culprits behind this looting were the ruffians. This was the main reason why five proslavery settlers were killed following the order from John Brown. Worse still, partisan violence rocked the region and persisted for four months. After the four months elapsed, a territorial governor was appointed by John W. Geary. Up to 1861, isolated cases of violence were still being reported in eastern and southern Kansas (A&E Television Networks par. 7). These are some of the new findings I obtained from this website.
What activities will you do with your future students?
As a history teacher, one of the key activities that I will perform with my students will entail visiting historical sites and museums. This will enable my students to practically internalize theories learned in the classroom. In addition, I will guide my students on how to be excellent researchers bearing in mind that this subject demands a lot of research work, especially when compiling reports. Finally, I will ensure that my students can perform both oral and written submissions on all history assignments given to them. This activity will provide better learning exposure and confidence in-class work (Hullar and Nelson 87).
Works Cited
A&E Television Networks. Bleeding Kansas. 2014. Web.
Hullar, Link and Scott, Nelson. The United States: A Brief Narrative History. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.