Final answer:
The confrontations between proslavery and antislavery factions in the Kansas Territory earned it the nickname "Bleeding Kansas." This term reflects the intense violence and political unrest surrounding the issue of whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state.
option c. Bleeding Kansas is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The violent confrontations between proslavery and antislavery factions in the Kansas Territory were extremely intense and deadly. This series of confrontations earned the Kansas Territory the nickname Bleeding Kansas. It was a precursor to the Civil War, highlighting the increasing tension between the North and the South over the issue of slavery. The antislavery and proslavery advocates engaged in events such as the Sack of Lawrence and the Pottawatomie Massacre, with over 150 deaths. The turmoil ensued from the initial attempts to use the ballot box to determine whether Kansas would be a free or slave state, which was further aggravated by fraudulent voting practices and controversial legislative actions.
These events in Kansas exemplified the extreme response to Senator Stephen A. Douglas's concept of popular sovereignty, which stated that the residents of a territory should decide the status of slavery therein. Due to fraudulent activities and clashes, the term Bleeding Kansas became the representation of this violent period. The conflict in Kansas ultimately became a national crisis, signaling the gravity and volatility of the sectional debates over slavery. Notably, Bleeding Kansas also involves the incident known as Bleeding Sumner, where Senator Charles Sumner was caned by Representative Preston Brooks in the Senate chamber, epitomizing the violent discord extending to the national political arena.