Bleeding Kansas was a serious of small conflicts and skirmishes between Abolitionists and Pro Slavery Groups(Border Ruffians) in the Kansas Territory from 1855-1858. However, tensions were cooled when John. W. Geary sent federal troops into Kansas. John W. Geary was appointed Territorial Governor. However, Kansas continued to Bleed when several smaller conflicts broke out included the murder of 5 free statesmen.

The Kansas-Nebraska act, proposed by Stephen Lawrence in Congress, trampled the 1820 Missouri Compromise. The Missouri compromise, made all states above the 36 30 parallel Free and all the states below the 36 30 parallel were slave. With the Kansas-Nebraska Act, these new territories that were proposed could exercise the concept of Popular Sovereignty. This meant that the people in those territories would vote on whether or not that state would be a Free or a Slave State, when it was granted statehood.

Because the people would decide whether or not the state would become a free or slave state, thousands of Abolitionists and "Border Ruffians"(Pro Slave) migrated to these areas. However, both sides quickly built towns, claimed as much land as possible, and even created their own Territorial Capitals. The Border Ruffians then proceeded to raid and loot a town named Lawrence, which was a Free State driven community. Outraged, the Abolitionists retaliated.

A Radical Abolitionist from the North, John Brown was a hero for the North and a terrorist in the South. He moved to Kansas with has 5 sons. Outraged over the looting of Lawrence, John Brown and his followers executed 5 Pro-Slavery men at Pottowatomie Creek in what is known as the Pottowatimie Massacre. Years later in 1859, John Brown and his sons would lead a raid on Harper's Ferry, which was the largest armory in the south with over 20,000 Muskets, Pistols, and Rifles. However, the Raid succeeds at first, but then quickly begins to turn to defeat because of the lack of support that was needed from the Slaves to begin the slave rebellion. In the end, he is hanged for his crimes.

These conflicts are major foreshadowing of the Civil War. These were just some of the first conflicts that involved bloodshed between these two groups divided by the position of slavery. It also began to show that both sides were willing to kill one another over their belief on slavery and that the Nation was dividing and moving more towards war: Civil War.