Franklin Pierce declares the Topeka government in rebellion

Background. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the Kansas Territory and called for popular sovereignty, leaving the slavery question to a vote of the settlers rather than to legislators in Washington, D.C. In 1855, antislavery settlers convened in Topeka at Constitution Hall to write the first of four state constitutions, the site later known as the "Free State Capitol."

Presidential Proclamation. In his message to Congress on January 24, 1856, President Franklin Pierce declared the Topeka government to be insurrectionist. This declaration labeled the Free-State constitution as extralegal, effectively denying its legitimacy. The proclamation was a significant escalation in the political struggle over Kansas, asserting federal authority against the self-proclaimed Free-State government.

Consequences. On June 30, 1856, after Pierce's declaration that the Topeka government was extralegal, Congress rejected ratification of the Topeka Constitution. The declaration fell within the wider violent period known as Bleeding Kansas: on May 21, 1856, proslavery Democrats and Missourians sacked Lawrence, and on July 4, 1856, proclamations of President Pierce led to the deployment of nearly 500 U.S. troops.