A history of the United States for Catholic schools . iver, while the free-statemen, called also Abolitionists, or Black Republicans,settled at Lawrence and other places south of the Kansas excitement became intense. Each party was determinedto win in the first election for a territorial legislature (1855).The pro-slavery men carried the election by means of fraudand violence, promptly adopted the Constitution of Missouri,which provided for slavery, and added to it laws by whichany interference with slavery w^as to be severely punished. 380 A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES The free-sta
A history of the United States for Catholic schools . iver, while the free-statemen, called also Abolitionists, or Black Republicans,settled at Lawrence and other places south of the Kansas excitement became intense. Each party was determinedto win in the first election for a territorial legislature (1855).The pro-slavery men carried the election by means of fraudand violence, promptly adopted the Constitution of Missouri,which provided for slavery, and added to it laws by whichany interference with slavery w^as to be severely punished. 380 A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES The free-state settlers, refusing to obey a government whichhad been established through fraud, met at Topeka and drewup a constitution of their own, which forbade slavery. Thus Kansas had two rival, hostile governments, each de-manding recognition by CoJigress and the President. It wasclear that squatter sovereignty could not solve peaceablythe slavery question in the territories. The House of Repre-sentatives accepted the Topeka, or anti-slavery constitution,. DISPERSING A KANSAS CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION and voted to admit Kansas as a free state. The Senate, however,did not concur in this action. The conflict in Kansas developedinto Civil War, during which the two parties committed somany crimes of violence and bloodshed that no state in theUnion, not even those that had been the scene of Indian wars,surpassed Kansas in the fierce strife of its early years; hence,the territory became known as Bleeding Kansas. At one time the pro-slavery party of Kansas framed whatis known as the Lecompton Constitution, making Kansas a FRANKLIN PIERCES ADMINISTRATION 381 slave state witlioiit submitting the constitution to a fair vote ofthe people. It was sent to Washington with an application forthe admission of Kansas as a state. Buchanan was about torecommend the admission of Kansas under this constitution,when Douglas came forward and demanded that the consti-tution should first be submitted to a fai
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