Violence Broke Out, 1856, Week 2

    I was living a pretty tranquil life in Kansas, until a group of abolitionists came and completely ruined the peace. Early this year, they formed an antislavery government in Topeka, and petitioned for statehood. That means there were TWO GOVERNMENTS competing for statehood!!! Furious proslavery residents like me could not tolerate this to happen. Therefore we gathered and held a meeting to talk about ways to protect our own government.

    In the meeting, we discussed how we could win the competition for statehood, and how to punish the abolitionists who threatened our power. Finally, we decided to organize an attack. Nothing speaks more than action!

    On May 21st, some of our men raided the antislavery town of Lawrence. They burned down the Free State Hotel, and also destroyed several presses that spoke against slavery.

Ruins of Lawrence

    In the fall after the Raid of Lawrence, even more blood was flowing on the land of Kansas. The tension between antislavery and proslavery forces grew bigger every day. More meetings are organized, calling for a solution through more violence. As I had expected, popular sovereignty resulted in a greater chaos.

A Poster of Proslavery Meeting

    Out of fear, a lot of my neighbors have chosen to leave their new homes for a more peaceful life. Although I am not a true peace-lover, I still have considered leaving Kansas due to the upgrowing tension. I wrote to my brothers back in Mississippi, asking their opinions on the issue. In their responses, they wrote:

"In order to win the statehood of Kansas, actions are necessary and much more effective than tedious debates. Only in this way can you prove your power, and only by fighting back can you defend yourself against your enemies."

    My brothers discouraged me from moving away, and they showed support to the violence with all their hearts. Thanks to their support, I have made up my mind that I will no longer be a coward. If there's anything I can do to protect my properties and my benefits, I will not fear to sacrifice anything.

Attached a video, summarizing all the new conflicts that happened in the recent years:

Bibliography

Guernsey, Alfred H., and Henry M. Alden. Harper’s Pictorial History of the 

     Civil War. 1866. UWRF Archives. Chicago. The Civil War and Northwest 

     Wisconsin. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. 

     <https://thecivilwarandnorthwestwisconsin.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/ 

     1863-august-29-quantrills-raid-every-person-who-engaged-in-the-destruction-      of-law rence-is-doomed-to-suffer-death/>. 

Labaree, Ben, Jr. How One Piece of Legislation Divided A Nation. Prod. TED-Ed. 

     YouTube. N.p., 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. 

     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWww0YIf-JE>. 

Photo KSF. 1857. Constitution Hall of Lecompton, Lecompton. Kansas Sampler 

     Foundation. Web. 29 Jan. 2016. <https://www.kansassampler.org/ 

     8wonders/historyresults.php?id=298>.