258:. They were referred jokingly by their enemies as âthe Knaves of the Godless Communionâ. Some think that Stand Watie was also the leader of many Lodges. The society's oath required those who enter to be fully pro-slavery and to protect their country from the ravages of abolitionists or any other combinations of people wishing to disrupt the nation. The members were then organized into encampments or âlodgesâ that were overlooked by lieutenants and captains who would call upon the members to assist in capturing and punishing any and all abolitionists in the area who were actively interfering with slavery.
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282:. They carried their plan into effect with all of the ruthless efficiency they were capable of. They used both natural aptitude for politics and military organization to create the Blue Lodges in Missouri. The lodges were based along Masonic lines. This lodge interested many fellow Missourians who hated the newly established act. Jo Shelby was the leader of this Missouri Blue Lodge.
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formation of their group called the âKeetoowahâ. The
Keetoowah's sole mission was to create a new secret society that could counteract the actions of the Blue Lodges. Blue Lodges themselves described their enemy, the Keetoowah, as an abolitionist society under radical northern missionary dominations (Jones).
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slavery strongly. There were a number of Blue Lodges also found in
Arkansas, still promoting the one singular idea of slavery in Kansas. These lodges had a part to play when it came to pushing Cherokee Indians into the ranks of pro-slavery southern politics. There were a few possible suspects that
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There was Evan Johns and his son John
Buttrick Jones who went out to churches and told about what these lodges did, after receiving a copy of the oath taken to get into a Blue Lodge. This was an attempt to unite full-bloods into a cohesive force that could take down these lodges. This led to the
274:, were pro-slavery, and also started the first few Missouri Blue Lodges. The men knew that they could not take on the Kansas-Nebraska Act, so they only had one option: influence the upcoming elections (1854). They were fully reserved to do it. The main men were Jo Shelby,
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in 1854. The movement proposed to send 20,000 free soldiers into Kansas each year. However, it failed to attract many numbers. Instead, this aroused proslavery advocates to create secret societies known as the Blue Lodges, taking place in
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could have aided in the formation of these Blue Lodges centered around
Cherokees, all well-connected members of the Watie party: E. Cornelius Boudinot,
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in surrounding states and that had a strong influence with federal agents and officials of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, as some lodges supported
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Federal
Writers' Project. âThe WPA Guide to Kansas.â Google Books, Trinity University Press, 2013, books.google.com/books?id=0VzpCAAAQBAJ.
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McLoughlin, William G. âAfter the Trail of Tears.â Google Books, UNC Press Books, 2014, books.google.com/books?id=bTxeBAAAQBAJ.
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O'Flahtery, Daniel. âGeneral Jo Shelby.â Google Books, UNC Press Books, 2000, books.google.com/books?id=qQLCdigbP5YC.
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and friends who were from
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Many people of this group had very close ties with white
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One formation of the Blue Lodges was due to a man named
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50:Learn how and when to remove these messages
86:. Please do not remove this message until
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176:Learn how and when to remove this message
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278:, General Benjamin F. Stringfellow, and
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