Traveling through Nebraska often involves traversing the Great Plains, where the landscape stretches far and wide, but the history runs deep. While Nebraska was not a state until 1867, its neighboring territories were instrumental in shaping the country's history. The Kansas Campaign led by John Brown, an anti-slavery abolitionist, was one such pivotal event that occurred in the nearby Kansas territory, which directly influenced the events in Nebraska.

The Kansas Campaign was a series of skirmishes and battles that took place from 1855 to 1858, primarily in the Kansas territory, near present-day Lawrence, Kansas. The campaign was launched by the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions vying for control of the territory. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act had allowed new territories to decide whether they would allow slavery. The pro-slavery faction, largely made up of Southerners who wanted to expand slavery into the new territory, clashed with the anti-slavery faction, who were primarily Northerners who opposed the institution of slavery.

John Brown, who had initially arrived in the territory to join the fight, became the leader of the anti-slavery faction. The most notable event of the campaign was the Battle of Osawatomie, which took place on August 30, 1856, in the town of Osawatomie, Kansas. The pro-slavery faction, backed by the land owners and the territorial government, attacked the town, killing several men and burning much of the settlement. In response, Brown and his men attacked and burned the nearby town of Pottawatomie Creek, killing several pro-slavery supporters. However, they were ultimately forced to retreat when a larger force of pro-slavery men led by the infamous David Atchison, a United States Senator from Missouri, approached.

Despite the eventual defeat of the anti-slavery faction, the Kansas Campaign marked a turning point in the fight against slavery. The news of the violent skirmishes reached a wider audience and garnered support for the anti-slavery movement. Furthermore, the campaign brought together many notable figures who went on to play important roles in the larger struggle against slavery, including Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison. The violent resistance displayed by John Brown during the campaign set the stage for the guerrilla warfare tactics he used during his later raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.

The campaign also left its mark on Nebraska. Although the conflict took place in the neighboring territory, many of the fighters passed through Nebraska. Additionally, the conflict in Kansas raised the stakes for the ongoing struggle between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Nebraska, where many fugitive slaves had settled in small communities. The most notable example was the settlement of Omaha's 'F Street', which was founded in the late 1850s.

John Brown himself fled to Canada following the failed raid on Harpers Ferry. However, before leaving the United States, he became a symbol of the fight against slavery. His actions sparked conversations around the country, much like the dialogue between prominent pro-slavery advocate Alexander Stephens and prominent anti-slavery orator Charles Douglass about the morality and legitimacy of the institution.

Some contemporary historians argue that the ferocity with which the pro-slavery faction attacked anti-slavery opponents suggests widespread violence. Conversely, they reason that violence from anti-slavery forces such as those commanded by Brown would inevitably lead to bloodshed. Historians have unearthed records which prove such extreme brutality took place.

Although historians cannot settle whether John Brown is considered an extreme fanatical anti-slavery supporter or someone revered for performing some degree of freedom, one fact is evident. John Brown indeed sparked American consciousness by influencing contemporary politics in Nebraska as well as being looked at long before the day of full-blown abolitionism due to Nebraska land-claim stakes and its geographic location.