The president continued to recognize the pro-slavery legislature , which was dominated by Democrats , even after a congressional investigative committee found its election to have been illegitimate . In response to Pierce 's actions , several Northern state legislatures passed resolutions in support of anti-slavery groups in Kansas . Robert Toombs arranged a compromise Kansas statehood bill that won passage in the Senate , but Pierce 's opponents in the House defeated the bill . The violence in Kansas escalated in 1856 , and pro-slavery forces ransacked the town of Lawrence . That same year , in the Pottawatomie massacre , an anti-slavery group led by John Brown killed pro-slavery settlers . The situation calmed somewhat after Pierce appointed the even-handed John W. Geary as governor of the territory , but tensions remained high by the time Pierce left office
Pottawatomie massacre
Pottawatomie massacre
Presidency of Franklin Pierce