What was at the root of "Bleeding Kansas"?

Choices:

1. Republican control of the territory

2. Democratic control of the territory

3. Constitutional rights for the people

4. Application for statehood

The correct answer is 4 Application for statehood.

When Kansas wanted to become a US state, they had to apply for statehood. Instead of making Kansas a free or slave state, the US government said that the citizens could vote on whether or not they wanted slavery. This concept is known as popular sovereignty. The federal government wanted the Kansas natives to vote on this issue, then draft a state constitution that can be approved by Congress. However, this concept of popular sovereignty resulted in a time period of mass corruption and violence. This period is now known as "Bleeding Kansas."