Border Ruffian - The Border Ruffians in "Bleeding Kansas"

The Border Ruffians in "Bleeding Kansas"

Kansas Territory was created by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The Act repealed the previous Federal prohibition on slavery in that area. Instead, the locally elected territorial legislature would decide.

At this time, many (probably most) of the settlers in Kansas opposed slavery. However, slavery advocates determined to have their way regardless. When elections were held in Kansas Territory, bands of armed Ruffians seized polling places, prevented Free-State men from voting, and cast votes themselves (illegally, since they were Missourians).

On 29 November 1854, Border Ruffians elected a pro-slavery territorial representative to Congress. On 30 March 1855, the Ruffians elected a pro-slavery legislature.

Despite these measures, far more Free-State settlers moved to Kansas than pro-slavery settlers. In 1857, pro-slavery settlers in Kansas proposed the Lecompton Constitution for the future state of Kansas. The Ruffians tried to get the Lecompton Constitution adopted with additional fraud and violence, but by then there were too many Free-Staters there.

The Border Ruffians also engaged in general violence against Free-State settlements. They burned farms and sometimes murdered Free-State men.

Most notoriously, the Ruffians twice attacked Lawrence, Kansas, the Free-State capital. On 1 December, 1855, a small army of mainly Border Ruffians laid siege to Lawrence, but were driven off. (This was the nearly bloodless climax to the "Wakarusa War".)

On 21 May 1856, an even larger force of Border Ruffians and pro-slavery Kansans captured Lawrence, which they sacked. (See Sacking of Lawrence).

Free-State settlers sometimes struck back. Free-State irregulars (known as Jayhawkers, Redlegs, or Redleggers) attacked pro-slavery settlers and suspected Ruffian sympathizers. Most notoriously, abolitionist fanatic John Brown killed five pro-slavery men at Osawatomie.