Blue Lodges facts for kids

The Blue Lodges were secret groups formed in western Missouri in 1854. Their main goal was to support slavery and stop anti-slavery groups from making Kansas a free state. This was happening because of a new law called the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Members of the Blue Lodges not only encouraged people who supported slavery to move to Kansas, but they also sometimes crossed the border to help elect pro-slavery leaders for the government there.

What Were the Blue Lodges?

The Blue Lodges were secret societies that strongly believed in slavery. They were formed during a time when the United States was deeply divided over whether new states should allow slavery or be free. These groups worked to make sure Kansas would become a slave state.

Blue Lodges in Massachusetts

One reason the Blue Lodges started was because of a man named Eli Thayer. In 1854, he created the New England Emigrant Aid Company. This group planned to send many people who were against slavery into Kansas each year. However, not many people joined his company.

This effort by anti-slavery groups made people who supported slavery very upset. They decided to form their own secret groups, which became known as the Blue Lodges. Some of these lodges were formed in Massachusetts. Members of these lodges were often linked to a political group called the Watie party. Their enemies sometimes joked about them, calling them "the Knaves of the Godless Communion." Some people even thought that Stand Watie was a leader of many of these lodges.

To join a Blue Lodge, a person had to take an oath. This oath meant they had to fully support slavery. They also promised to protect their country from anyone who wanted to end slavery or cause trouble for the nation. Once they joined, members were organized into smaller groups called "encampments" or "lodges." Leaders like lieutenants and captains would call on members to help find and punish anyone who was actively working against slavery in their area.

Blue Lodges in Missouri

In Missouri, a man named Joseph O. Shelby and his friends, who were wealthy slave owners, also started some of the first Blue Lodges. They were very much against the Kansas–Nebraska Act because it allowed people in Kansas to decide if they wanted slavery, which they feared would lead to Kansas becoming a free state.

These men knew they couldn't stop the Kansas-Nebraska Act directly. So, they decided their best option was to influence the upcoming elections in 1854. They were very determined to do this. Key leaders included Jo Shelby, David Rice Atchison, General Benjamin F. Stringfellow, and Claiborne Fox Jackson. They used their skills in politics and military organization to create the Blue Lodges in Missouri. These lodges were set up in a way that was similar to Masonic groups. Many people in Missouri who disliked the new act were interested in joining. Jo Shelby was the main leader of the Missouri Blue Lodges.

Blue Lodges and Native Americans

Many members of the Blue Lodges had strong connections with white groups in nearby states who shared their strong beliefs. They also had influence with government agents and officials who worked with Native American tribes. This was because some Blue Lodges strongly supported slavery among the Cherokee people.

Some Blue Lodges were also found in Arkansas. These lodges also promoted the idea of slavery in Kansas. These groups played a role in pushing Cherokee Native Americans to support pro-slavery politics in the Southern states. Some people who might have helped form these Blue Lodges, especially those connected to the Cherokees, were well-known members of the Watie party. These included E. Cornelius Boudinot, John Rollin Ridge, J. Woodward Washbourne, Elias W. Rector, and George W. Paschal.

The Keetoowah vs. Blue Lodges

Two men, Evan Johns and his son John Buttrick Jones, learned about the Blue Lodges after getting a copy of their oath. They went to churches and told people what these lodges were doing. Their goal was to unite full-blood Cherokee people into a strong group that could stand against the Blue Lodges.

This effort led to the creation of their own secret society called the "Keetoowah." The Keetoowah's main mission was to act as a counter-force to the Blue Lodges. The Blue Lodges themselves described their enemy, the Keetoowah, as an anti-slavery group influenced by Northern missionaries.