What event is referred to as "Bleeding Kansas"?

"Bleeding Kansas" refers to a series of violent confrontations that occurred in the Kansas Territory between 1854 and 1859, primarily over the issue of slavery. This period of conflict was ignited by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed the settlers in those territories to determine through popular sovereignty whether they would allow slavery. This led to an influx of both pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers into Kansas, resulting in intense and often brutal violence as each side attempted to assert control.

The significance of "Bleeding Kansas" lies in its role as a precursor to the Civil War, showcasing the deep divisions in the United States over the issue of slavery. The violence in Kansas highlighted the failure of political solutions to address the tensions surrounding slavery, demonstrating how deeply entrenched these divisions had become. This turmoil ultimately foreshadowed the larger national conflict that would erupt into the Civil War just a few years later.