However, tensions and conflicts had been brewing in the country for several years, and Kansas played a crucial role in intensifying these conflicts. The 1850s saw intense political and social struggles over the issue of slavery in the newly organized Kansas Territory. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers flocked to the region to influence the political balance and determine whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 led to the formation of two rival governments in the territory, one pro-slavery and one anti-slavery. This conflict erupted into violent clashes known as "Bleeding Kansas." These episodes involved violent confrontations between settlers, guerrilla warfare, and raids on settlements.
The violence in Kansas attracted national attention and heightened tensions between the North and the South. The debate over slavery and the rights of states became increasingly polarized, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its consequences exacerbated sectional divisions within the United States.
Therefore, while the events in Kansas were a significant factor in raising tensions and dividing the nation, the US Civil War officially began on April 12, 1861, with the attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.