With the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, the fate of Kansas now rested in the hands of the residents through popular sovereignty. This sparked a frenzy in the North and South with thousands of people prepared to move out West to either stop the spread of slavery or to encourage it.
In Massachusetts the Rev. Eli Thayer formed the Emigrant Aid Company, a non profit set up to help move anti-slavery settlers to Kansas. Thayer was successful, and in 1855 1,200 New Englanders had moved to Kansas and established the communities of Lawrence, Topeka, and Osawtomie. Thayer's success caused panic in the South and a rumor circulated that 20,000 New Englanders had moved to Kansas. Fearing that Kansas would become a free territory, thousands of Southerners moved to Kansas in preparation for the territory's upcoming elections.
On March 30, 1855, Missouri Senator David Atchinson who had previously vowed to, "kill every God damned abolitionist in the region", arrived in Kansas with 5,000 men to intimidate voters in electing a pro-slavery state legislature. When the election results came in the territory legislature was filled with pro-slavery candidates.
The new government of the Kansas Territory went to work quickly on creating a set of rules to govern the region. The pro-slavery government went to work quickly and passed the following laws:
- slavery was legal in Kansas
- it was illegal to speak out against slavery
- anyone caught aiding or assisting a runaway slave would be sentenced to death
- Printing or publishing any book, pamphlet, ect. calculated to produce "dangerous dissatisfaction"among slaves punishable by five years hard labor.
Following the elections violence soon broke out across the region with attacks made by both pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. Reverend Henry Ward Beecher sent dozens of rifles to support the abolitionists in their struggles. These rifles became known as "Beecher Bibles" by members of the press. Settlers were attacked in broad daylight in the streets and in their homes during the middle of the night. On May 21, 1856, 800 Bushwackers and Border Ruffians attacked the anti-slavery community of Lawrence. They destroyed the Liberty Hotel, offices, businesses, and the homes of several abolitionists.
The attack on Lawrence inspired abolitionist John Brown to retaliate. On May 24th, Brown and four of his followers attacked five men who were connected to the attack on Lawrence killed them with swords. More attacks soon followed between the two groups for the next two months until U.S. troops were sent into the region to restore order.
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