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Carbines were modern in design, incorporating a breech loading mechanism. The rifles were the Sharps Model 1853. The
Federal and state authorities had forbidden sending arms to the territory but that did not stop abolitionists from donating funds for firearm purchases. Doctor Samuel Cabot donated $ 12,500 USD for the purchase of Sharps Carbines. Also according to
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The term originated from the method of shipment: New
England abolitionists sent Sharps Carbines to Kansas in an attempt to assist anti-slavery settlers there. The carbines were shipped in crates which were covered by bibles. The crates were marked with the words "Books and Bibles". The Sharps
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For decades there had been a conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists in
America. Before Missouri asked to be admitted to the United States there were 11 free and 11 slave states. Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state. The 1820
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which said voters could decide. Settlers from both sides came to Kansas. Violence was common between the two sides in Kansas. It was during this conflict that
Minister Henry Ward Beecher raised funds to buy rifles for the free-staters: Beecher's Bibles were sent to the territory.
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period (1854–1860). The breech loading model 1853 Sharps
Carbines were shipped in crates marked "Books and Bibles". After an 1856 article in the
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and he raised funds to buy weapons for Kansas free state settlers. Some newspapers began calling
Beecher's church the "
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stated that all states south of
Missouri could be admitted as slave states. In 1854 Congress initiated the
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believed that such weapons were "a greater moral urgency among border ruffians than the scriptures".
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152:". From there the guns that were purchased and sent came to be known as Beecher’s Bibles.
374:"The little-known history of the Connecticut Kansas Colony and its role in ending slavery"
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Guns in
American society : an encyclopedia of history, politics, culture, and the law
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242:(3rd ed.). Hollywood California: Benfield Publishing Inc. pp. 92–93.
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Age of the gunfighter : men and weapons on the frontier, 1840-1900
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138:, of whom it was written in a February 8, 1856, article in the
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404:. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 34.
123:was inspired by the comments and activities of the
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436:Marcot, Roy; Marron, Edward; Paxton, Ron (2019).
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287:. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 58.
438:Sharps Firearms: The Percussion Era 1848–1865
183:"The Sharps Rifle Episode in Kansas History"
115:The name "Beecher's Bibles" in reference to
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475:Abolitionism in the United States
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253:Strand, Michael (2 April 2004).
162:New England Emigrant Aid Society
136:New England Emigrant Aid Society
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372:Grant, Steve (6 August 2022).
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191:The American Historical Review
31:Beecher Bible and Rifle Church
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353:. February 8, 1856. p. 6
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40:" was the name given to the
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440:. Northwood Heritage Press.
361:– via newspapers.com.
322:. Kansas Historical Society
181:Isley, W. H. (April 1907).
144:: Beecher was an outspoken
111:Example of a Sharps Carbine
51:settlers and combatants in
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281:Carter, Gregg Lee (2002).
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465:Guns of the American West
398:Rosa, Joseph G. (1995).
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19:Not to be confused with
238:Sellers, Frank (1988).
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92:Kansas–Nebraska Act
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65:carried a quote by
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128:New England
449:Categories
326:2020-12-15
168:References
73:Background
134:, of the
130:minister
121:carbines
357:June 4,
220:1832405
103:History
455:Rifles
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53:Kansas
216:JSTOR
186:(PDF)
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