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The six-year struggle for control of the territory of Kansas, often called Bleeding Kansas, was a prelude to the American Civil War. It was by no means the sole cause of that conflict, but the political turmoil that emerged from the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 caused a sometimes violent confrontation between pro- and antislavery factions in Kansas and increased sectional tensions nationwide. The story of territorial Kansas is, therefore, one of national significance. • Unrest was a fact of life in Kansas Territory. Election fraud was common. Efforts to approve or reject specific constitutions also were disputed. The site of the capital was changed several times. One town, Pawnee, was the capital but the territorial legislature met there for only six days before moving to Shawnee Indian Mission. Four different constitutions were written before Kansas became a state. Kansas settlers had to deal with these disputes as they built homes, farms, and businesses. The Lecompton Constitution included a provision to allow slavery. At one point, two governments operated in Kansas. Supporters of slavery established a government according to federal guidelines in Lecompton. Those opposed to slavery claimed control in Topeka. Kansas had ten governors or acting governors in just six years. • Many people who settled in Kansas had strong opinions about slavery. Some supported the use of slaves in the new territory. Others opposed the idea. Some were abolitionists who wanted to end slavery wherever it existed. These differences of opinion led to heated debates and even battles in Kansas Territory. The conflicts in Kansas and how they were reported in eastern newspapers contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War This lesson will focus on the dispute over slavery in Kansas Territory. Both primary sources “predict” the eventual Civil War. When analyzing these primary sources think in what ways did events in Kansas Territory led to the Civil War. Did the Civil War start in Kansas? Would the Civil War have happened without the debate over slavery in Kansas Territory?