For This Land

The book deals with two themes. First, Meg and her family have to learn to adapt to live on the prairies, which was not easy. The main theme, though, was how the Kansas Territory was split by violence between those who wanted to live there and who did not want Kansas to become a slave state, and those who came from other areas, who did not live in Kansas, and who wanted to rig the election so Kansas would become a slave state. This was in 1856, with the actual Civil War some years off yet. An argument could be made, though, that the Civil War really started in Kansas because the fighting involved groups of men who fought each other, attacked towns, and laid waste to whatever they could.

Meg's father helps to fight against these slavery supporters but is badly injured in the process.


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