-Kansas Election of 1855-

--causes of the chaotic election--

• In the mid-1850’s, Kansas was referred to as “Bleeding Kansas” because the territory itself was in it’s own civil war

• This mini-war started with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854– The Act created two territories and cancelled out

the Missouri Compromise by saying that the people of the Kansas territory would choose whether they would allow slavery or not

– This caused a split in Kansas folk, causing the supporters of slavery to stand their ground and abolitionists to move north to Nebraska

--the chaotic election of 1855--

– Anti-slavery citizens and pro-slavery citizens rallied people to join their side and maintain their territory

• This resulted in many fights and raids, eventually turning into a small civil war, which is why it was called “Bleeding Kansas”

– Third party of Free Soilers was formed• Free soilers were against slavery, but they were not

for it, they simply wanted to make their territory free of blacks

– In March 1855, the state legislative election was held to determine whether slavery should be allowed in Kansas or not

• This election was completely swung by 5,000 pro-slavery out of state Missouri citizens, who crossed the border to vote in favor of slavery

--the chaotic election of 1855--• When the ballots were counted, it turned out that there

was more votes put in than people residing in the territory

• To avoid further complications, Governor Andrew Reeder approved the election and instated slavery in the territory of Kansas

• This fraudulent election was briefly investigated in 1856 by the Congressional Committee, but the ruling against the election was overturned by pro-slavery activists

Governor Andrew Reeder

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--the election’s Effects on the U.s. in 1855--

• The Kansas legislative election of 1855 proved to the United States that their political system was not yet solid, causing them to work harder at achieving a solid political system, as they did a few years later when Kansas was declared a free state at last

• This also effected the pro and anti-slavery people of the United States by heightening their disgust for one another and ultimately leading to the civil war

• Some historians say this election was the turning point that solidified the already expected Civil War

--The election’s effects on present day U.s.--

• This election is only a small part of our history, but it ultimately led to the biggest, most shocking turning point in American history, The Civil War– This election provoked both sides of the

slavery battle, causing them to fight harder for their beliefs

– Without the Civil War, the United States surely would have failed, and may even still have slavery today

--social and political impact in 1855--

• Social– Socially, this election completely separated not

only Kansas, but the entire United States into three main sections: Pro-slavery, Abolitionists, and Free Soilers

– This split in unity led to the Civil War

• Political– Politically, the election revealed that the United

States political system was still weak by letting citizens of Missouri cross over to Kansas to place their votes

– This also sparked many politicians to rally for what they believed in, which made Americans more involved in politics and take sides