Making the Border Bleed: Slavery and Politics in Territorial Kansas, moderated by Virgil Dean, Kansas Historical Society, and featuring talks by:

Kristen Epps, Colorado State University – Pueblo; Before the Border Wars: Slavery and Southern Settlement on the Western Frontier, 1825-1845

Nicole Etcheson, Ball State University; The Goose Question: The Proslavery Party in Territorial Kansas and the “Crisis in Law and Order”

Kristen Tegtmeier Oertel, University of Tulsa; “Negro-worshipping fanatics” and “villain[s] of the blackest dye”: Racialized Manhoods and the Sectional Debates

Pearl Ponce, Ithaca College; “The Noise of Democracy:” The Struggle over the Lecompton Constitution

Regular breaks are scheduled throughout this session. A question and answer session follows the presentations.