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IMAGES and TEXT: Bleeding Kansas
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IMAGE 1 of 3: Mural DESCRIPTION: Mural depicting a larger-than-life wild-eyed, bearded John Brown in the center holding an open book with a Greek letter alpha on one page and a Greek letter omega on the other page in his left hand, and a rifle in his right hand. On his left, there's a group of Confederate soldiers and enslaved people, all waist-high to him. The soldiers are aiming their weapons, and a Confederate flag is flying behind them. On his right, there's a group of Union soldiers, also waist-high to the central figure, with an American flag flying behind them. Iconic images of Kansas are depicted in the background, consisting of a wagon train, a tornado and a prairie fire on the horizon. CAPTION: John Steuart Curry’s mural “Tragic Prelude” made John Brown the symbolic central figure in the clash of forces in Bleeding Kansas CREDIT: Kansas State Historical Society IMAGE 2 of 3: People riding horses DESCRIPTION: A portion of a painting showing two men on horseback, one following the other in a gallop, and both brandishing pistols in the air with their right hands. The horseman in the back is shouting something. Both men look unkempt and ragged with serious, intent expressions. There are bedrolls on the fronts of their saddles along with other supplies. CAPTION: Detail from “Guerrillas” by Andy Thomas. CREDIT: Andy Thomas/Maze Creek Studio IMAGE 3 of 3: James Montgomery DESCRIPTION: Portrait photograph in black and white of James Montgomery's head and shoulders. He is a middle-aged white man wearing a jacket with dark lapels which is open to show a white shirt collar underneath with a full head of thick, dark, wavy hair to his ears. He has an unkempt full beard and matching mustache, and his eyebrows are very thick and dark. He is gazing blankly off to his left. CAPTION: James Montgomery CREDIT: Kansas State Historical Society RELATED TEXT: Slavery divided the nation during its turbulent adolescent years. Conflict arose over whether to allow slavery in the new western territories. Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), Congress created Kansas and Nebraska territories, opening these lands for settlement. It declared that the residents of these territories could decide by popular vote whether their state would be free or slave. In Kansas, people on both sides of this controversial issue flooded in, trying to influence the vote in their favor. Three distinct political groups occupied Kansas—proslavers, free-staters, and abolitionists. Proslavery advocates, as the name implies, supported slavery, regardless of whether they personally owned slaves. Abolitionists wanted to rid the nation of the “peculiar institution” altogether. Free-staters didn’t particularly care about slavery where it already existed, but were opposed to its extension westward. Conflict between these opposing factions soon turned violent. As a result, this era became forever known as “Bleeding Kansas,” an era when violence, destruction, and psychological warfare prevailed in the region. Fort Scott and the surrounding area were not immune from the turmoil. Sold at auction in 1855, the fort buildings became the new town of Fort Scott. The townspeople were primarily proslavery, while free-staters and abolitionists dominated the surrounding countryside. This division of opposing factions was illustrated on the grounds of the “old fort” by the existence of two hotels. One, a former officers’ quarters, became the Fort Scott Hotel, nicknamed the “Free State” Hotel due to the political leanings of many of its guests. Directly across the square, an infantry barracks was now the Western Hotel, a headquarters for proslavery men. By 1858, radical elements from both factions converged on the area. James Montgomery, an ardent abolitionist, became a leader of free-state forces that invaded Fort Scott, a haven for Border Ruffians (extreme proslavery men). During one raid, Montgomery tried to burn the Western Hotel; another raid took the life of John Little, a former deputy marshal. During this era, soldiers returned periodically to Fort Scott to restore law and order, staying each time until violence abated, only to have conflict resume on their departure. By the time the territorial strife waned in 1859, nearly 60 people had died and hundreds were terrorized throughout Kansas in the struggle over slavery. Antislavery forces finally prevailed. Kansas entered the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861, but by then the fighting and violence, once contained to this area, threatened to engulf the entire country.
Description
An audio description of the Bleeding Kansas section of Fort Scott's Unigrid brochure.
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