Describe what happened in Kansas that led newspapers to write about ''Bleeding Kansas.''

In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed. This law allowed both of these territories to become states. However, before officially becoming a state, the federal government gave them the option to vote on whether Kansas/Nebraska would be a free or slave state. This is what causes "Bleeding Kansas."

Thousands of individuals vote, with the initial results showing that Kansas would be a slave state. However, individuals against slavery, cried foul as citizens from Missouri (a slave state) came over the border and illegally voted in the election. The people who did not want slavery refused to settle on this issue and violence broke out all over Kansas. This fighting between people who did and did not want slavery caused extreme violence and death. This is why it is called "Bleeding Kansas."