Editing Kansas Territory (section)

==Eastern emigration==
[[File:1855 Colton Map of Kansas and Nebraska (first edition) - Geographicus - NebraskaKansas-colton-1855.jpg|thumb|250px|right|1855 first edition of Colton's map of the Nebraska and Kansas Territories]]

=== Pro-slavery settlers ===
Within a few days after the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, hundreds of Missourians crossed into the adjacent territory, selected a section of land, and then united with fellow-adventurers in a meeting or meetings, intending to establish a pro-slavery [[Preemption Act of 1841|preemption]] upon all this region.

As early as June 10, 1854, the Missourians held a meeting at Salt Creek Valley, a trading post {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} west from [[Fort Leavenworth, Kansas|Fort Leavenworth]], at which a "Squatter's Claim Association" was organized. They said they were in favor of making Kansas a slave state if it should require half the citizens of Missouri, musket in hand, to emigrate there. According to these emigrants, [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionists]] would do well not to stop in Kansas Territory, but keep on up the Missouri River until they reach [[Nebraska Territory]], which was anticipated to be a free state. Before the first arrival of Free-State emigrants from the northern and eastern States, nearly every desirable location along the Missouri River had been claimed by men from western Missouri, by virtue of the [[Preemption Act of 1841|preemption laws]].

=== Free staters ===
[[Image:KS-Territory-Change.png|320px|thumb|Territorial changes of Kansas]]

During the long debate that preceded the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, it had become the settled opinion at the North that the only remaining means whereby the territory might yet be rescued from the grasp of the slave power, was in its immediate occupancy and settlement by anti-slavery emigrants from the free states in sufficient numbers to establish free institutions within its borders. The desire to facilitate the colonization of the Territory took practical shape while the bill was still under debate in the [[United States Congress]]. The largest organization created for this purpose was the [[New England Emigrant Aid Company]], organized by [[Eli Thayer]].<ref name=cordley>{{cite book|last=Cordley|first=Richard|title=A History of Lawrence, Kansas|date=1895|publisher=E. F. Caldwell [[Lawrence Journal-World|Lawrence Journal Press]]|location=Lawrence, KS|url=http://www.kancoll.org/books/cordley_history/ch_ch01.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021123021827/http://www.kancoll.org/books/cordley_history/ch_ch01.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2002-11-23|access-date=July 24, 2017|chapter=Chapter 1 }}</ref>

Emigration from the free states (including [[Iowa]], [[Ohio]], and other Midwestern and New England states), flowed into the territory beginning in 1854. These emigrants were known as [[Free-Stater (Kansas)|Free-Stater]]s. Because Missourians had claimed much of the land closest to the border, the Free-Staters were forced to establish settlements further into Kansas Territory. Among these were [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], and [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]].

To protect themselves against the encroachments of non-residents, the "Actual Settlers' Association of Kansas Territory" was formed. This association held a meeting on August 12, 1854, the object being the adoption of some regulations that should afford protection to the Free-State settlers, under laws not unlike those adopted by the pro-slavery [[squatter]]s in the border region east.