This political cartoon, titled, "Forcing Slavery Down The Throat of a Freesoiler," was published in 1856 by illustrator John L. Magee on Harper's Weekly. This was in response to violence against antislavery supporters in Kansas. The cartoon shows several Democratic figures--namely Stephen Douglas, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Lewis Cass--shoving a peronified version of slavery (a black man) down a "freesoiler's" throat. The term "freesoiler" refers to an
Introduction
The Lecompton Constitution (drafted in 1857) was the second attempt at writing a constitution to settle the conflict in the Kansas Territory. It drafted by pro-slavery politicians of the South, and included many clauses that would authorize slavery and the mistreatment of free Africans. It added on to the tensions between the North and the South, which was the focus of the Period of Incivility (1846-1860).