In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act left the territory of Kansas open to the possibility of slavery. Pro- and anti-slavery settlers swarmed to Kansas, resulting in a low-intensity civil war that would drag on for years. Pro-slavery supporters were outnumbered in the territory, so they relied on help from Washington to rig elections, draft a phony constitution, and attempt to establish Kansas as a slave state, against the wishes of the majority. Today, we'll focus on the Lecompton Constitution: an instance of massive voter fraud and corruption that implicated state officials, U.S. Senators, and even the President himself.

SOURCES:

Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-illustrated-battle-cry-of-freedom-9780195159011?cc=us&lang=en&

Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/calhoun-s-candlebox/10180