Popular Sovereignty Effects for Proslavers
- Citizens of Missouri desiring Kansas territory to be admitted into Union as slave state poured into Kansas
- Known as border ruffians, brought violence with them when they arrived--ruffians were not actual residents, just traveled in order to vote for Kansas to be slave state
- Reports from the border indicated “’emigrants…now pouring into Kansas from Missouri and Arkansas by the thousands…all either slave owners…[or]…friends of the Institution of Slavery’” (Etcheson 30)
- Proslavery individuals viewed westward expansion as continuation and advancement of slavery, so result of popular sovereignty in Kansas was directly linked to success of country and livelihood
- Plenty of cheap land for slave owners in territory, however it was risky to bring their slaves because no guarantee that they would remain their slaves if Kansas became free state