Show In order to understand why the city of Lawrence was sacked by pro-slavery parties in 1856, it is important to understand the political and historical background of the city. It is said that Lawrence is the only city that was founded for political reasons. According to the idea of “popular sovereignty”, which is essentially the concept that the government is ruled by and according to the consent and desires of its people, settlers were given the choice of whether to make their state a slave or a free state. Abolitionists from New England moved to the area and established Lawrence in an effort to ensure the territory would become anti-slavery. An illustration of the 1856 Sack of Lawrence  The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created the states of Kansas and Nebraska and opened them for settlers to move into. Because the power was given to white male settlers to decide whether they wanted it to be a slave or free state, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was repealed. The Missouri Compromise was created in an attempt to partially ban slavery in the Western territories, making slavery illegal in the former Louisiana territory north of 36*, 30’ latitude, essentially north of present-day Arkansas, except in the land of present-day Missouri. The abolitionists that settled Lawrence were part of the New England Emigrant Aid Company (NEEAC), which was formed for the purpose of battling the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This was seen by anti-slavery people as an aggressive move by the pro-slavery groups viewed, as it served to repeal the Missouri Compromise. The NEEAC provided settlers willing to move to Kansas with travel funds, at times covering up to 25 percent of the total cost, and resources to aid in settling the land. Northern settlers also founded other Kansas towns, including Topeka, Manhattan, and Osawatomie. However, Lawrence served as the NEEAC’s regional headquarters, named after its treasurer Amos Lawrence and was considered an abolitionist stronghold. This made it a target for pro-slavery groups. “Border ruffians” attacked Lawrence on May 21, 1856. The term “border ruffians” refers to pro-slavery people from Missouri who participated in Kansas politics in the hopes of making it a slave state in a number of illegal and extra-legal ways, such as coming to the territory on election days under the pretense that as long as they had no guaranteed plan to leave on a certain day they could be considered residents, or helping transport, and in some cases paying, pro-slavery families to move to Kansas and vote in elections. Kansas eventually entered the Union as a free state in 1861 and participated in the Civil War. http://explorelawrence.com/explore/itineraries/history/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_sovereignty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%E2%80%93Nebraska_Act http://www.historynet.com/missouri-compromise http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/content/founding-lawrence-kansas http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/first-sack-lawrence http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/content/border-ruffians http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-lawrence.html http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/sustainable- communities/lawrence-kansas-zm0z12onzcom.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacking_of_Lawrence
Lawrence, Kansas 1856 At the center of the anti-slavery movement in Kansas was the city of Lawrence, which had been established in the Fall of 1854 by anti-slavery emigrants from New England. Though hundreds of settlers had moved to Kansas from the east, expressly for the purpose of establishing Kansas as a free state, the pro-slavery forces of Missouri had gained control of the Kansas government and through a campaign of intimidation, determined to make Kansas a slave state. In 1856, Lawrence was called home to about 1,500 residents, almost all of whom supported the Free-State movement, and as such, became a target for the Missouri forces. The Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas A previously threatened attack in December 1855, referred to as the Wakarusa War, was settled before any blood was shed. But the southern sympathizers were determined to “put down” the resistance of Lawrence citizens. On April 23, 1856, pro-slavery advocate and Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones, went to arrest several Free-State men and was shot by an unknown person. Jones would survive the shooting and on May 11th, Federal Marshal J.B. Donaldson proclaimed that the citizenry of Lawrence had interfered with the execution of warrants. In the meantime, a Lawrence newspaper, called the Herald of Freedom, was actively publishing numerous anti-slavery articles, which had long been a source of bitter contempt to the proslavery forces operating in Kansas. As a result, Sheriff Samuel J. Jones collected a posse of some 700 men with the intent of destroying the offices of the Herald of Freedom, as well as another newspaper called the Kansas Free State. The “posse” gathered on the outskirts of town, as well as stationing a large force and cannon atop Mount Oread. The home of Lawrence resident, and the first governor of Kansas, Charles L. Robinson, was commandeered as the headquarters for the operation. Troops were also posted on every road leading into the city to stop anyone from escaping. The troops then marched into the city under two flags – one a blood-red flag on which was “Southern Rights,” and the other, the United States flag. The men then went to the newspaper offices, destroyed the presses, and threw them, as well as the types, into the river. They then began the work of destroying the Free State Hotel by firing on it with a cannon. When the cannonball missed, the building was set afire and by evening was a roofless, smoldering ruin. The troops then began to rob various locations before burning the home of Charles L. Robinson. One person died during the melee – ironically, it was a pro-slavery proponent who was killed by falling masonry. The attack, on May 21, 1856, considered by some as the true first battle of the Civil War that would not officially begin for five more years, further inflamed both parties fighting over Kansas and led to more skirmishes in what is known as the Kansas-Missouri Border War. Unfortunately, for the City of Lawrence, this would not be its only attack. During the Civil War, it would once again be made a target in what is known as the Lawrence Massacre. The ruins of the Free State Hotel, Lawrence, Kansas © Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated July 2021. Also See: Bleeding Kansas & the Missouri Border War Lawrence – From Ashes to Immortality Lawrence Massacre Kansas – The Sunflower State Not to be confused with the Lawrence massacre. The Sacking of Lawrence happened on May 21, 1856, when pro-slavery people came to Lawrence, Kansas and attacked it. Lawrence was an anti-slavery town. They were led by Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones. The attack made the irregular conflict in Kansas Territory worse. The conflicts later became known as "Bleeding Kansas". Only one person died, and his death was by accident. However, the pro-slavery people destroyed two free-state newspapers, the Kansas Free State and the Herald of Freedom. BeforeLawrence, Kansas was created in 1854 by anti-slavery people. They often were attacked by pro-slavery people because Lawrence was anti-slavery. Lawrence had almost been attacked during the Wakarusa War in 1855. Pro-slavery sheriff Samuel Jones was shot when he was trying to arrest anti-slavery people. Many anti-slavery people believed that Jones being shot was the cause of the attack. Lawrence people made Jones leave after he was shot. Federal Marshal Israel B. Donaldson said that Jones being shot stopped him from following warrants. He decided to send 800 pro-slavery men to Lawrence to destroy anti-slavery newspapers and destroy the Free State Hotel. Sack
The "Old Sacramento" cannon taken by U.S. during the Mexican–American War in 1847 and taken to the Liberty Arsenal. The cannon was fired by pro-slavery people during the Siege of Lawrence. On May 21, 1856, Jones and Donaldson came to Lawrence. A group of many men were on Mount Oread, and they had a cannon. Charles L. Robinson's house was taken over and used as Jones's headquarters. Jones's men guarded the roads that went in and out of Lawrence to stop people from leaving. Jones's men flew many flags, such as the state flags of Alabama and South Carolina. Many flags had anti-Free State or pro-slavery messages on them such as "Kansas the Outpost", "Southern Rights", and "Supremacy of the White Race"). Shalor Eldridge, the owner of the Free State Hotel, learned of the coming pro-slavery men, and he came to meet them. Donaldson told him that he and his men would attack Lawrence only if the people of Lawrence resisted his men. Donaldson and Eldridge went to the Free State Hotel. There, Eldridge cooked a good meal that had fresh food and expensive wine. He made this meal so that Donaldson and his men would stay calm. Eldridge was interviewed by Donaldson while he and his men continued to eat the meal, then they left without paying. Shortly after, Donaldson let Jones command his men. Jones then asked to talk to a representative of the town. Samuel C. Pomeroy agreed to meet with Jones and talk to him about the situation. Jones was clear in what he wanted: for the people of Lawrence to give up all of their weapons. Pomeroy argued that there was not much he could do about that, since it was for the people to decide if they would give up their weapons. However, hoping to convince Jones to leave the city peacefully, Pomeroy agreed to give the city's only artillery piece. While Jones did take this cannon, it did not convince him as Pomeroy had hoped. It was the "Old Sacramento" cannon that the pro-slavers used to try to destroy the Free State Hotel. This weapon had been kept in the Liberty Arsenal until it was taken by pro-slavery forces in 1855. (The cannon would eventually be taken by free-staters later in 1856 during the Second Battle of Franklin.) While Jones and his men were trying to destory the hotel, the printing offices of the Kansas Free State and the Herald of Freedom were destroyed; their libraries were thrown out the window, the presses were smashed, and the type was thrown in the river. Any papers left were either thrown into the wind to be carried off or were used by Jones and his men to burn down the Free State Hotel. When the newspapers and the hotel were destoryed, Jones's men then looted the town. As they retreated, they burned Robinson's home on Mount Oread for good measure. One person—a member of Jones's gang—died during the attack when he was hit in the head by a falling bit of the Free State Hotel. AfterWhile the Free State Hotel was destroyed, a man named Shalor Eldridge bought the destroyed ruins of the building. He decided to rebuild it as the "Eldridge House". This building remained until 1863, when it was burned down by William Quantrill during the Lawrence Massacre (after which it would be rebuilt two more times in 1866 and 1926, respectively). For a many months after the Sack of Lawrence, the city was without a free state newspaper. This was made worse by the fact that Josiah Miller, who ran the Kansas Free State, decided not to start his newspaper again. George Brown restarted the Herald of Freedom in November 1857, so Lawrence had a newspaper again. Lawrence's only cannon was lost due to the sacking. This would be at least one reason that Free-Staters would attack Franklin's Fort in June and August of 1856; they hoped to get the "Old Sacramento" cannon so they could use it.
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Who was responsible for the sack of lawrence?
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