Border Ruffian
Encyclopedia
In the decade leading up to the American Civil War
, pro-slavery activists infiltrated Kansas Territory
from the neighboring slave state
of Missouri
. To abolitionists and other Free-Staters, who desired Kansas to be admitted to the Union as a free state, they were collectively known as Border Ruffians.
Notably, only a few of the Border Ruffians actually owned slaves; most were too poor. What motivated them was hatred of the Yankee
s and abolitionists and the prospect of free blacks living in neighboring areas. Southerners were driven by the rhetoric of leaders such as David Rice Atchison
, a Missouri senator, who proclaimed the Northerners to be "negro thieves" and "abolitionist tyrants." He encouraged Missourians to defend their institution "with the bayonet and with blood" and, if necessary, "to kill every God-damned abolitionist in the district." Additionally, the presence of bands of both Kansan and Missourian combatants in the area made it difficult for families on the border to remain neutral.
that created Kansas Territory in 1854 left the question of whether it would be a slave state
to elections open to all settlers. Border Ruffians crossed into Kansas and affected the outcomes of several of these key elections by claiming to be settlers and intimidating valid voters. For example, on November 29, 1854, Border Ruffians swayed the vote in favor of a pro-slavery territorial representative to Congress. In the election of March 30, 1855, Border Ruffians were key to electing a pro-slavery territorial Legislature. Border Ruffians also voted in favor of the Lecompton Constitution
(a proposed state constitution
, drafted by a constitutional convention
of somewhat dubious validity, that allowed slavery). An integral part of these periodic invasions was also outright violence against Free-Staters.
The Border Ruffians at times also engaged in larger battles with Free-State forces. On December 1, 1855, a small army, composed mainly of Border Ruffians, laid siege to Lawrence, Kansas
, in the nearly bloodless climax to the "Wakarusa War
." On May 21, 1856, Border Ruffians in conjunction with pro-slavery Kansans and officers of the territorial legislature, again attacked Lawrence. (See Sacking of Lawrence
.)
On the other side, anti-slavery Kansas militants (known as Jayhawkers, Redlegs, and Redleggers) also committed atrocities against residents of Kansas and Missouri they believed to be unsupportive of their cause, even those who did not own slaves. For example, John Brown
, probably the most famous of these militants, led raids where men he believed to be pro-slavery were hacked to death with broadswords
.
After Kansas was admitted to the United States as a free state and the Civil War commenced in 1861, hostilities continued between pro-Confederate partisans from Missouri and pro-Union partisans from Kansas. Both sides murdered civilians they suspected of harboring sympathies for the opposition. (See Bushwhacker
.) A number of towns in Missouri, such as Osceola
, were sacked by Jayhawkers in the days preceding the Civil War. The movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales
, portrays the sacking of Osceola.
Abolitionists were referred to as Jayhawkers and is still used as a term of derision by some towards those from Kansas (though Kansans see it as a term of endearment
). The term rose when the Jayhawkers "foraged off the enemy". The University of Kansas' mascot, the Jayhawk, is derived from the term, Jayhawkers.
The less militant bulk of the settlers would have sought to evade the problem of slavery if left unmolested. Pioneer Kansas wanted to be 'lily white'.
"We want no slaves and we want no Negroes", was the prevailing sentiment reported by an Abolitionist in 1854. Every fair show of local sentiment showed strong opposition to the presence of Negroes, slave or free. This illiberal cutting of the gordian knot may well have been illegal. But nobody ever knew, for it was never seriously tested. J.C. Furnas; The Road To Harpers Ferry 1959
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, pro-slavery activists infiltrated Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
from the neighboring slave state
Slave state
In the United States of America prior to the American Civil War, a slave state was a U.S. state in which slavery was legal, whereas a free state was one in which slavery was either prohibited from its entry into the Union or eliminated over time...
of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. To abolitionists and other Free-Staters, who desired Kansas to be admitted to the Union as a free state, they were collectively known as Border Ruffians.
Notably, only a few of the Border Ruffians actually owned slaves; most were too poor. What motivated them was hatred of the Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
s and abolitionists and the prospect of free blacks living in neighboring areas. Southerners were driven by the rhetoric of leaders such as David Rice Atchison
David Rice Atchison
David Rice Atchison was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate for six years...
, a Missouri senator, who proclaimed the Northerners to be "negro thieves" and "abolitionist tyrants." He encouraged Missourians to defend their institution "with the bayonet and with blood" and, if necessary, "to kill every God-damned abolitionist in the district." Additionally, the presence of bands of both Kansan and Missourian combatants in the area made it difficult for families on the border to remain neutral.
Actions in Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas-Nebraska ActKansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
that created Kansas Territory in 1854 left the question of whether it would be a slave state
Slave state
In the United States of America prior to the American Civil War, a slave state was a U.S. state in which slavery was legal, whereas a free state was one in which slavery was either prohibited from its entry into the Union or eliminated over time...
to elections open to all settlers. Border Ruffians crossed into Kansas and affected the outcomes of several of these key elections by claiming to be settlers and intimidating valid voters. For example, on November 29, 1854, Border Ruffians swayed the vote in favor of a pro-slavery territorial representative to Congress. In the election of March 30, 1855, Border Ruffians were key to electing a pro-slavery territorial Legislature. Border Ruffians also voted in favor of the Lecompton Constitution
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas . The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution of James H. Lane and other free-state advocates...
(a proposed state constitution
State constitution (United States)
In the United States, each state has its own constitution.Usually, they are longer than the 7,500-word federal Constitution and are more detailed regarding the day-to-day relationships between government and the people. The shortest is the Constitution of Vermont, adopted in 1793 and currently...
, drafted by a constitutional convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
of somewhat dubious validity, that allowed slavery). An integral part of these periodic invasions was also outright violence against Free-Staters.
The Border Ruffians at times also engaged in larger battles with Free-State forces. On December 1, 1855, a small army, composed mainly of Border Ruffians, laid siege to Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, in the nearly bloodless climax to the "Wakarusa War
Wakarusa War
The Wakarusa War was a skirmish that took place in Kansas Territory during November and December 1855 as part of the Bleeding Kansas violence. It centered around Lawrence, Kansas, and the Wakarusa River Valley.- Background :...
." On May 21, 1856, Border Ruffians in conjunction with pro-slavery Kansans and officers of the territorial legislature, again attacked Lawrence. (See Sacking of Lawrence
Sacking of Lawrence
In the northern spring of 1856, the Sacking of Lawrence helped ratchet up the guerrilla war in Kansas Territory that became known as Bleeding Kansas.-Background:...
.)
On the other side, anti-slavery Kansas militants (known as Jayhawkers, Redlegs, and Redleggers) also committed atrocities against residents of Kansas and Missouri they believed to be unsupportive of their cause, even those who did not own slaves. For example, John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
, probably the most famous of these militants, led raids where men he believed to be pro-slavery were hacked to death with broadswords
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
.
After Kansas was admitted to the United States as a free state and the Civil War commenced in 1861, hostilities continued between pro-Confederate partisans from Missouri and pro-Union partisans from Kansas. Both sides murdered civilians they suspected of harboring sympathies for the opposition. (See Bushwhacker
Bushwhacker
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts...
.) A number of towns in Missouri, such as Osceola
Osceola, Missouri
Osceola is a city in St. Clair County, Missouri, United States. The population was 835 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of St. Clair County.-History:...
, were sacked by Jayhawkers in the days preceding the Civil War. The movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the end of the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Geraldine Keams.The film was adapted by Sonia Chernus and Philip Kaufman...
, portrays the sacking of Osceola.
Abolitionists were referred to as Jayhawkers and is still used as a term of derision by some towards those from Kansas (though Kansans see it as a term of endearment
Term of endearment
A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection...
). The term rose when the Jayhawkers "foraged off the enemy". The University of Kansas' mascot, the Jayhawk, is derived from the term, Jayhawkers.
The less militant bulk of the settlers would have sought to evade the problem of slavery if left unmolested. Pioneer Kansas wanted to be 'lily white'.
"We want no slaves and we want no Negroes", was the prevailing sentiment reported by an Abolitionist in 1854. Every fair show of local sentiment showed strong opposition to the presence of Negroes, slave or free. This illiberal cutting of the gordian knot may well have been illegal. But nobody ever knew, for it was never seriously tested. J.C. Furnas; The Road To Harpers Ferry 1959
See also
- Bleeding KansasBleeding KansasBleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
- John BrownJohn Brown (abolitionist)John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
- Sacking of LawrenceSacking of LawrenceIn the northern spring of 1856, the Sacking of Lawrence helped ratchet up the guerrilla war in Kansas Territory that became known as Bleeding Kansas.-Background:...