Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent clashes between supporters and opponents of slavery over control of the new territory of Kansas. It is also known as “Bloody Kansas” and the Border War. The conflict intensified the ongoing debate over the future of slavery in the United States and was an important precursor to the Civil War. The biggest issue between the antagonists was whether … Continue reading Revisit: BLEEDING KANSAS (1854-1861)
The Compromise of 1850, enacted in September of that year, was a failed attempt to diffuse a tense political situation between free and slave states that had emerged after the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). As a result of Mexico’s defeat, that nation ceded a vast territory to the United States (see map). Soon a debate emerged between free and slaveholding states as to whether slavery would … Continue reading Revisit: THE COMPROMISE OF 1850
On Friday, August 21, 1863, the Lawrence Massacre, also known as Quantrill’s Raid, took place. It was a battle between the Free Staters of Lawrence and the supporters of slavery living in Missouri. The result of this bloody confrontation was the death of about 190 unarmed men and boys including a number of African Americans. Quantrill’s men also burned 185 buildings. Only one of Quantrill’s raiders was killed Continue reading Revisit: THE LAWRENCE MASSACRE: QUANTRILL’S RAID ON LAWRENCE, KANSAS (1863)
The California Gold Rush, from 1848 to 1860, began after gold was discovered by carpenter and sawmill operator James W. Marshall on January 24, 1848. After Marshall’s discovery, thousands of people came to the goldfields in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California. At least 4,000 African Americans were among those who would arrive in California by 1860 in search of gold and more generally, prosperity and freedom Continue reading Revisit: AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH (1848-1860)
Black Art Story 