Kansas and Slavery in 1856

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/31/2009

Imprint, "THE BORDER RUFFIAN CODE IN KANSAS," 16 pages, octavo, 1856, This printing lists 13 laws pertaining to slavery and begins: "The character of the Code of pretended Laws enacted by the bogus Territorial Legislature of Kansas - a Legislature notoriously forced upon the people of that Territory, at the hands of invading ruffians from Missouri, using the persuasive arguments of the Bowie-Knife and Revolver..." It then goes on to list the punishment for various crimes pertaining to slavery, including: "Section 1. That every person, bond or free, who shall be convicted of actually raising a rebellion or insurrection of slaves, free negroes, or mulattoes, in this Territory, shall suffer death....Sec. 2 Every free person who shall aid or assist in any rebellion or insurrection of slaves, free negroes, or mulattoes, or shall furnish arms, or do any overt act in furtherance of such rebellion or insurrection shall suffer death...Sec. 3. If any free person shall, by speaking, writing, or printing, advise, persuade, or induce any slaves to rebel, conspire against, or murder any citizen of this Territory, or shall bring into...or shall knowingly aid or assist in the bringing into, printing, writing, publishing, or circulating in this Territory, any book, paper, magazine, pamphlet, or circular, for the purpose of exciting insurrection, rebellion, revolt, or conspiracy, on the part of the slaves, free negroes, or mulattoes, against the citizens of the Territory or any part of them, such person shall be guilty of felony, and shall suffer death..." With excellent full page map titled "FREEDOM AND SLAVERY, AND THE COVETED TERRITORIES" with a nice note on "CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION" which reads "House of Representatives - The free states have 144 members, the slave states 90 members. One free state member represents 91,935 white men and women; one slave member represents 68,725 whites. The slave states have 30 members in the House of Representatives founded on slave representation. U.S. SENATE - The free states with a white population of 13,238,670 have 32 senators. The slave states with a population of 6,186,477 have 30 senators; so that every 413,708 free men of the North have only the same representation in the Senate as every 206,215 citizens of the slave states." The map also denotes "The number of slaves in the United States is 3,204,3113. The number of slave holders 347,525, of whom only 92,257 own each 10 slaves or upward. In this statement no account is taken of the white slaves of the North who are owned by this small but iron willed oligarchy..." More. Disbound, VG.

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