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At the
center of the anti-slavery movement in
Kansas
was the city of
Lawrence,
which had been established in the Fall of 1854 by anti-slavery emigrants from
New England. Though hundreds of settlers had moved to
Kansas
from the east, expressly for the purpose of establishing
Kansas
as a free state, the pro-slavery forces of
Missouri
had gained control of the
Kansas
government and through a campaign of intimidation, determined to make
Kansas
a slave state.
In the
summer of 1856,
Lawrence
was called home to about 1,500 residents, most all of whom supported
the
Free-State movement, and as such, became a target for the
Missouri
forces.
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Lawrence,
Kansas
in 1856. |
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A previous threatened attack in December, 1855,
referred to as the
Wakarusa War,
was settled before any blood was shed. But the southern sympathizers were
determined to "put down” the resistance of
Lawrence
citizens.
On April 23, 1856, pro-slavery advocate and Douglas County
Sheriff,
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