AP US History Exam Prep

Answer - D - Pro-slavery men attacking Lawrence is one of the events that led people to refer to Kansas as “Bleeding Kansas” in 1856.

Key Takeaway: Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas organized the territory that would eventually become Kansas and Nebraska. Douglas’s bill stated that the question of slavery would be left up to the voters of the state. This ability to choose ultimately led to a mini Civil War in the territory. People on both sides of the slavery issue engaged in acts of violence that gave the territory the term “Bleeding Kansas.”