Kansas's War: The Civil War in Documents

Discussion Questions

249 Discussion Questions chapter 1: settlement and strife 1. Why was the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act so controversial? How did popular sovereignty change the settlement experience? Compare the traveling accounts of Wells and Hoole. What do they tell us about why people left their homes to settle in Kansas? 2. Why did the Kansas legislative assembly pass such a restrictive law regarding slavery? How did this law contribute to the conflict between proslavery and antislavery factions in the territory? Did this law violate American expectations regarding those freedoms they had enjoyed in their home states? 3. Why did the conflict between advocates of slavery and advocates of freedom move beyond debate to violence? How did the territory’s Bleeding Kansas reputation affect the national debate on slavery? 4. Why did it matter whether Kansas joined the Union as a slave state or a free state? Was it truly an outpost in a larger battle? chapter 2: joining the union 1. Did Kansans, as Robert Walker argued, have the power to silence the country’s antislavery agitation? Had it been peaceably brought into the Union in 1858, would civil war have been averted? 2. For Kansans, how did their experiences in the 1850s affect their understanding of events after Abraham Lincoln’s election? What did admission to the Union represent for Kansans? 3. What was Kansas’s initial experience of statehood? How did war breaking out just weeks after their joining the Union change their perspective? chapter 3: patronage and policy 1. How did politics within Kansas affect the state’s prosecution of the war? How did Kansas’s recent admission to the Union affect its ability to protect itself? How did it affect the state’s ability to work with the federal government during wartime? 2. How did James Lane gain so much power in Kansas? How was he viewed within the state? How was he viewed by federal authorities? 250 Discussion Questions 3. GiventhatbothKansasandMissouriwereUnionstates,howshouldbordertroubles have been addressed? What was the government’s responsibility in ameliorating border tension? Are there limits to what the government can do in such conflicts? chapter 4: kansas’s men in blue 1. What were some of the unique challenges soldiers in Kansas faced? How did a soldier’s war experience differ if he served in the army or in the militia? If he was dispatched to New Mexico or Indian Territory? To Missouri or Tennessee? 2. How was the experience of fighting for the Union different for an African American soldier? How was it different for a member of the Indian Home Guard? 3. How did Kansans’ territorial experience affect soldiers’ reasons for fighting? Did it inform their views of the home front? How did Kansans react as they moved into the South with their regiments? 4. How were soldiers affected by their service? What were their concerns during wartime? How did these concerns differ from those of civilians? chapter 5: warfare along the kansas-missouri border 1. How do you explain the distrust between Kansans and Missourians? How did having jayhawking soldiers like George Packard serving in the region contribute to the cycle of violence? 2. How did the uncertainty of border life affect Kansans? Why did border residents like the Earl sisters remain instead of seeking refuge in the interior of the state? 3. What was the response to the Lawrence massacre? Was the state or federal government culpable in the Lawrence massacre? Could the massacre have been avoided? chapter 6: kansans and antislavery 1. Should the outbreak of war have affected how laws like the Fugitive Slave Law were implemented in Kansas? How did having a slave state bordering Kansas affect its citizens? How did it shape their views on emancipation and civil rights for African Americans? 2. Did government policy keep pace with changes regarding slavery within Kansas? How do you weigh the rights of property holders in a time of war? 3. How did the struggle of the 1850s affect Kansans’ views of the institution of slavery? Did the influx of contrabands into the state change their views? Discussion Questions 251 4. Why was arming African Americans as soldiers so controversial? What is the difference between contributing to the war effort through labor or through battle? chapter 7: politics and prosperity 1. What do the documents in this chapter tell you about the parameters of dissent? How did Kansans define loyalty? 2. How did...