# Other Wars Between US States? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573 "2006-09-05T20:16:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/1 "2006-09-05T20:16:33Z")
Was wondering if anyone can recall any hot / nearly hot conflicts between US States or groups of US States, other than the American Civil War? What I’m after are incidents where state militias were raised or formed up at the borders of other states, that sort of thing, not going so far as against the Federal Government though. Seems like there was a border war or two back in the 1800s but I can’t seem to find them on Google or Wiki. I’ve tracked down the odd rebellion or [two](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Rebellions_in_the_United_States) but haven’t found whole States squaring off. Maybe I’m using the wrong search terms or have glossed over them or simply imagined them? ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/2 "2006-09-05T20:17:42Z")
Doh, meant that as a new post, ignore please until Mod fixes. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/3 "2006-09-06T00:45:53Z")
The state of Ohio engaged in some fisticuffs with people from what was to become the state of Michigan over the location of the border between them. You can look the stituation up in Wikipedia for a good overview of what happened. Of course, Michigan was not yet a state at the time, so it doesn’t quite match the requirements of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/4 "2006-09-06T01:03:32Z")
There was a fair amount of bluster between the colony of New Hampshire and the colony of New York over the property that eventually declared a pox on both their houses and got itself organized as Vermont, but I don’t think that anything occurred that could be called a “war” subsequent to the Declaration of Independence. And once a Constitution was adopted, all the states tended to go along with using courts to decide issues. (The casualties in the Toledo War were one Michigan cow and the broken arm (inflicted by the woman who had owned the cow) of the drunken Ohioan who shot it.) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/5 "2006-09-06T01:29:50Z")
[The Aroostook War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroostook_War), between Maine and New Brunswick, was almost certainly the only war between a US state and a Canadian province (both terms defined broadly, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/6 "2006-09-06T01:31:12Z")
Massachusetts and some of the other New England states were pretty mad about “Mr. Madison’s War” of 1812, but I don’t think any fisticuffs ensued except for some sharp-witted editorials and a pamphlet or two. And that’d be “State against the Feds” which is still going on, really. Massachusetts also got huffy about “[The Southwick Jog](http://www.southwickma.org/Public_Documents/F000102F9/S00476B50-00476B5B)” that pegs into CT a little bit. (Warning: link to PDF) But that’s more of a border dispute too. Nothing got hurt except the reputations of long-deceased cartographers. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/7 "2006-09-06T01:50:52Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] [The Aroostook War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroostook_War), between Maine and New Brunswick, was almost certainly the only war between a US state and a Canadian province (both terms defined broadly, of course). [/QUOTE] I’ll see your Aroo and raise you a [pig](http://www.nps.gov/archive/sajh/Pig_War_new.htm), though it’s admittedly beyond the state v. province parameter and effectively the last (little-known) dispute over the Canadian/U.S. border. ---
**Author:** ![dbygawdcapn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dbygawdcapn/32/3995_2.png) [@dbygawdcapn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbygawdcapn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/8 "2006-09-06T02:30:56Z")
The [Oyster Wars](http://www.colonialbeach.org/Museum/OysterWars.htm) between Maryland and Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![desdinova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@desdinova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desdinova)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/9 "2006-09-06T02:32:19Z")
Oklahoma and Texas fought over who controlled the Red River for decades… the rivalry between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma (the Red River Shootout) is likely a direct reference to this. Here are a few links for reading: [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/rnr1.html](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/rnr1.html) [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/mgr2.html](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/RR/mgr2.html) > **[Red River Bridge War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_River_Bridge_War)** > > Oklahoma National Guard > Texas Military Forces > The Red River Bridge War was a boundary conflict between the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Texas over an existing toll bridge and a new free bridge crossing the Red River. > The Red River Bridge Company, a private firm owned by Benjamin Colbert, had been operating a toll bridge that carried U.S. Route 69 and U.S. Route 75 between Colbert, Oklahoma, and Denison, Texas. In 1931, Texas and Oklahoma jointly built a new, free span northwest of the existing ... ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/10 "2006-09-06T02:57:14Z")
In 1839 Iowa and Missouri had a set to over the location of their common border and the identity and location of the “rapids of the Des Moines River.” It started when a Missouri sheriff attempted to collect taxes from people who regarded themselves as Iowans. This was important because Missouri was a slave state and Iowa, then a territory, was free soil under the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Missouri and Iowa militias were called out but actual blood shed was forestalled by a federal survey. This was the [Honey Tree War](http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/myPath.cfm?ounid=ob_000106). ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/11 "2006-09-06T04:16:21Z")
Excellent! Thanks for the info fellows. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/12 "2006-09-06T05:56:52Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] There was a fair amount of bluster between the colony of New Hampshire and the colony of New York over the property that eventually declared a pox on both their houses and got itself organized as Vermont, but I don’t think that anything occurred that could be called a “war” subsequent to the Declaration of Independence… [/QUOTE] Well, maybe a little more than mere bluster. Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys cut their teeth terrorizing “Yorkers” before they joined the colonial cause in the American Rev. (They would take Ft. Ticonderoga from the Brits after they joined that fight.) One account I read told of how one Benjamin Hough, before he was run off from the disputed land, got 200 lashes across his bare back for merely being a NY justice of the Peace. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/13 "2006-09-06T07:05:00Z")
Probably counts as a rebellion (as it was between the US and Utah) but there was the [Utah War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_War) of 1857-1858 when President Buchanan attempted to depose Bringham Young as governor of Utah. A bit of a damp squib as wars go (though did result in the [Mountain Meadows Massacre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Meadows_Massacre) ) ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/14 "2006-09-06T12:05:07Z")
Well I was going to go Oyster War – but since that is taken and seeing as some folks have stretched states to equal colonies how about Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood sending an armed contingent (led by Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard) into North Carolina to deal with Blackbeard the Pirate. North Carolina Govern Eden had already pardoned Blackbeard. (Eden reportedly shrugged at pirate activity and possibly shared in Blackbeard’s booty.) So not … quite… VA vs. NC – more like if the NC governor pardoned Beltway Sniper John Muhammad and the Virginia Legislature and Governor authorized and spent tax money to arm and send a detachment of National Guard Troops, led by an Army officer, into North Carolina to kill Muhammad. Maybe close in spirit - but not quite - re the OP? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/15 "2006-09-06T13:15:17Z")
Do the words “Bleeding Kansas” ring any bells? ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/16 "2006-09-06T13:35:28Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Do the words “Bleeding Kansas” ring any bells? [/QUOTE] But that wasn’t between two states, it was more like a civil conflict within the state. I think the OP is explicitly asking about conflicts between states, not uprisings against the federal government or a domestic disturbance. If you’re going to count simple armed uprisings against the feds, then there’s the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 and Shay’s rebellion of 1786. I suppose some of the race riots of the twentieth century were severe enough that they could be considered uprisings. A race riot in Atlanta around the turn of the twentieth century involved gun battles between blacks and whites in the streets, and killed more than a hundred people, most of them black. Some horrified observers in Europe considered it a small race war. Should Indian wars count? Those went on more or less continuously throughout the nineteenth century. I was going to say John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, but that probably ought to be considered part of the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/17 "2006-09-06T13:44:26Z")
Wiki pedia has a list of [civil disturbances](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_civil_unrest_in_the_United_States) in the United States. The Boston brothel riot sounds intriguing. 18th century 1713 - Boston Bread Riot, Boston, Massachusetts 1734 - Mast Tree Riot, Fremont, New Hampshire 1737 - Boston Brothal Riot, Boston, Massachusetts 1741 - New York Slave Insurrection of 1741, New York City, New York 1742 - Philadelphia Election Riot, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1746 - New Jersey Tennant Riots, New Jersey 1747 - Boston Anti-Impressment Riot, Boston, Massachusetts 1756 - Knowles Riot, Boston, Massachusetts 1764 - Paxton Riots, Paxton, Pennsylvania 1770 - Boston Massacre, Boston, Massachusetts 1771 - Battle of Alamance, Regulators, May 1771, Alamance, North Carolina 1772 - Pine Tree Riot, Weare, New Hampshire 1786 - Shays Rebellion, Aug. 29, 1786 - Feb. 3, 1787, Western Massachusetts 1788 - Doctors Mob Riot, New York City, New York 1793 - New York City Brothel Riot, New York City, New York 1794 - Whiskey Rebellion, Western Pennsylvania 19th century 1832 - Anti-Abolitionist Riot, New York City, New York 1834 - Anti-Abolitionist Riot, New York City, New York 1835 - Baltimore Bank Riot 1835 - Gentleman’s Riot, Boston, Massachusetts 1837 - Flour Riots, New York City, New York 1841 - Whig Party Riot, Washington, D.C. 1841 - Dorr Rebellion, Rhode Island 1844 - Philadelphia Nativist Riots, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1849 - Astor Place Riots, New York City, New York 1855 - Lager Beer Riot, Chicago, Illinois 1855 - Know-Nothing Riot of 1855, Louisville, Kentucky 1856 - Know-Nothing Riot of 1856, Baltimore, Maryland 1857 - Know-Nothing Riot, Washington D.C. 1857 - New York Police Riots of 1857, New York City, New York 1861 - Baltimore Riot of 1861, Baltimore, Maryland 1863 - New York Draft Riot, New York City, New York 1864 - Charleston Riot, Charleston, Illinois 1866 - Memphis Race Riot, Memphis, Tennessee 1866 - New Orleans Riot, New Orleans, Louisiana 1868 - Pulaski Riot, Pulaski, Tennessee 1873 - Colfax Riot, Colfax, Louisiana 1877 - Railroad Strikes of 1877, July 1877, Various locations in USA 1884 - Cincinnati Vigilante Riot, Cincinnati, Ohio 1886 - Haymarket Riot, Chicago, Illinois 1892 - Homestead Strike, July 6,1892, Homestead, Pennsylvania 1894 - May Day Riots of 1894, May 1, Cleveland, Ohio 1894 - Pullman Strike participants burn World’s Columbian Exposition buildings, Chicago, Illinois 1897 - Lattimer massacre, Sep. 1897, near Hazleton, Pennsylvania 1898 - Wilmington Race Riot, Nov. 10, Wilmington, North Carolina 20th century 1906 - Atlanta Riots, Atlanta, Georgia 1907 - Bellingham riots, Bellingham, Washington 1908 - Springfield Race Riot, Springfield, Illinois 1912 - Lawrence textile strike, Lawrence, Massachusetts 1913 - Patterson silk strike, Patterson, New Jersey 1914 - Ludlow massacre, April 20, Ludlow, Colorado 1916 - Preparedness Day bombing, July 22, San Francisco, California 1917 - East St. Louis Riot, July 2, St. Louis, Missouri & East St. Louis, Illinois 1917 - Houston Race riot, Aug. 23, Houston, Texas 1919 - May Day Riots, May 1, Cleveland, Ohio 1919 - Red Summer, USA 1919 - Charleston Race riot, May 10, Charleston, South Carolina 1919 - Washington, DC Riot 1919, July 19, Washington, D.C. 1919 - Chicago Race Riot, July 27 - Aug.2, Chicago, Illinois 1919 - Knoxville Race riot, Aug. 30, Knoxville, Tenn. 1919 - Longview Race Riot, Longview, Texas 1919 - Omaha Race riot, Sept. 28, Omaha, Nebraska 1919 - Elaine Race Riot, Oct. 1, Elaine, Arkansas 1919 - Centralia massacre, Nov. 11, Centralia, Washington 1921 - Tulsa Race Riot, June 1-2, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1921 - Battle of Blair Mountain, W.V. Coal Mine Wars, Aug.- Sept. 1921, Logan County, West Virginia 1923 - Rosewood riot, Jan. 1-7, Rosewood, Florida 1927 - Columbine Mine Massacre, Nov.21, Serene, Colorado 1931 - Chicago Rent Strike Riot, Aug. 3, Chicago, Illinois 1934 - Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1934 - 1934 West Coast Longshore Strike 1934 - Textile workers strike (1934) 1937 - Republic Steel Strike, May 30, Chicago, Illinois 1943 - Zoot Suit Riots, July 3, Los Angeles, California 1943 - Detroit Race Riot, Detroit, Michigan 1949 - Peekskill Riot, Peekskill, New York 1951 - Cicero Riot, July 12, Cicero, Illinois 1964 - New York City riot 1964, July 18-23, New York City, New York 1964 - Rochester 1964 race riot, July 24-25, Rochester, New York 1964 - Jersey City riot 1964, Aug. 2-4, Jersey City, New Jersey 1964 - Paterson riot 1964, Aug. 11-13, Paterson, New Jersey 1964 - Elizabeth riot 1964, Aug. 11-13, Elizabeth, New Jersey 1964 - Chicago riot 1964, Dixmoor riot, Aug. 16-17, Chicago, Illinois 1964 - Philadelphia 1964 race riot, Aug. 28-30, reference for these 1964 events: [1] 1965 - Watts Riot, Aug. 1965, Los Angeles, California 1966 - Hunter’s Point Riot, San Francisco, California 1966 - Hough Riots, July 18-24, Cleveland, Ohio 1967 - 1967 Newark riots, July 1967, Newark, New Jersey 1967 - 1967 Plainfield riots, July 14-21, Plainfield, New Jersey 1967 - Cambridge, Md. Riot 1967, July 1967, Cambridge, Maryland 1967 - 12th Street Riot, July 1967, Detroit, Michigan 1968 - Orangeburg Massacre, S.C. State Univ., Feb. 8, Orangeburg, South Carolina 1968 - 1968 Washington, DC riots, April 4-8, Washington, D.C. 1968 - Baltimore Riot 1968, April 6-7, Baltimore, MD 1968 - Chicago riot 1968, West Side Riots, April 7-14, Chicago, Illinois 1968 - Glenville Shootout, July 23-28, Cleveland, Ohio 1968 - 1968 Democratic National Convention riot, Aug. 1968, Chicago, Illinois 1969 - Stonewall Riots, June 1969, New York City, New York 1969 - York Race Riot, July 1969, York, Pennsylvania 1969 - Days of Rage, Oct. 8-11, Chicago, Illinois 1970 - Kent State Riots/Shootings, May 1970, Kent, Ohio 1970 - Hard Hat riot, Wall Street, May 8, New York City, New York 1970 - Jackson State killings, May 14-15, Jackson, Mississippi 1970 - Sterling Hall bombing, Univ. of Wisc., Aug. 24, Madison, Wisconsin 1971 - May Day Protests 1971, May 3, Washington, D.C. 1971 - Camden Riots, August 1971, Camden, New Jersey 1971 - Attica Prison uprising, (Attica, New York) 1975 - Livernois-Fenkell riot, July 1975, Detroit, Michigan 1977 - Chicago riot 1977, Humboldt Park riot, June 4-5, Chicago, Illinois 1977 - New York City Blackout Riot, July 1977, New York City, New York 1979 - White Night gay riots, May 1979, San Francisco, California 1979 - Greensboro Riot/Shootings, Nov. 3, Greensboro, North Carolina 1980 - New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1980 - Chattanooga Riot of 1980, Chattanooga, Tennessee 1980 - Miami Riot 1980, May 17-19, Miami, Florida 1982 - Washington Anti-Klan protest 1982, Nov. 27, Washington, D.C. 1982 - Miami Riot 1982, Overtown Riot, Dec. 1982, Miami, Florida 1987 - Tampa Riot 1987, Feb. 1987, Tampa, Florida 1988 - Tompkins Square Park Police Riot, August 1988 (East Village, Manhattan, New York City) 1989 - Miami Riot 1989, Jan. 1989, Miami, Florida 1989 - Tampa Riot 1989, Feb. 1989, Tampa, Florida 1991 - 1991 Washington, DC riot, Mount Pleasant riot, May 5-9, Washington, D.C. 1991 - Crown Heights Riot, Aug. 1991, Brooklyn, New York 1992 - L.A. riot/Rodney King riot, April-May 1992, Los Angeles, California 1996 - St. Petersburg, FL Riot 1996, Oct. 1996, St. Petersburg, Florida 1999 - WTO Meeting of 1999, Nov. 1999, Seattle, Washington 1999 - Michigan State University student riot, April 1999, (East Lansing, Michigan) 1999 - Woodstock '99 music festival riot, August 1999, (Woodstock, New York) 21st century 2000 - Puerto Rican Day Parade riot in Central Park New York City, New York 2001 - 2001 Cincinnati Riots, April 10-12, Cincinnati, Ohio 2001 - Seattle Mardi Gras Riots, Feb. 27, Seattle, WA 2002 - University of Minnesota Hockey Riots, April 6, Minneapolis, Minnesota 2003 - University of Minnesota Hockey Riots (second straight year), April 12, Minneapolis, Minnesota 2003 - Benton Harbor Riot, June 2003, Benton Harbor, Michigan 2005 - Civil disturbances and military action in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Aug.-Sept., New Orleans, Louisiana 2005 - 2005 Toledo Riot, Oct. 15, Toledo, Ohio 2006 - San Bernardino punk riot, March 4, San Bernardino, California ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/18 "2006-09-06T13:47:38Z")
[QUOTE=LonesomePolecat] But that wasn’t between two states, it was more like a civil conflict within the state. I think the OP is explicitly asking about conflicts between states, not uprisings against the federal government or a domestic disturbance. [/QUOTE] Wrong! Citizens of Missouri crossed over into Kansas for barbaric acts of violence. They acquired the knickname “Border Ruffians”. > **[Border ruffian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Ruffians)** > > Border ruffians were proslavery raiders who crossed into the Kansas Territory from Missouri during the mid-19th century to help ensure the territory entered the United States as a slave state. Their activities formed a major part of a series of violent civil confrontations known as "Bleeding Kansas", which peaked from 1854 to 1858. Crimes committed by border ruffians included electoral fraud, intimidation, assault, property damage and murder; many border ruffians took pride in their reputation ... Anti-Slavery forces from Kansas were called “Jayhawkers”. > **[Jayhawker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayhawkers)** > > Jayhawker is a term that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; it was adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These groups were guerrillas who often clashed with pro-slavery groups from Missouri, known at the time in Kansas Territory as "Border Ruffians" or "Bushwhackers". After the Civil War, the word "Jayhawker" became synonymous with the people of Kansas, or anybody born in Kansas. Today a Th... > **[Bleeding Kansas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_Kansas)** > > Antislavery settlers(Jayhawkers/Free-Staters) Pro-slavery settlers (Border ruffians) Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in the Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over whether slavery should be permitted in the proposed state of Kansas. > **[Bleeding Kansas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_Kansas#Meeting_of_North_and_South)** > > Antislavery settlers(Jayhawkers/Free-Staters) Pro-slavery settlers (Border ruffians) Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in the Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over whether slavery should be permitted in the proposed state of Kansas. So, it generally meets the OP terms. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/19 "2006-09-06T13:57:03Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Wrong! Citizens of Missouri crossed over into Kansas for barbaric acts of violence. They acquired the knickname “Border Ruffians”. > **[Border ruffian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Ruffians)** > > Border ruffians were proslavery raiders who crossed into the Kansas Territory from Missouri during the mid-19th century to help ensure the territory entered the United States as a slave state. Their activities formed a major part of a series of violent civil confrontations known as "Bleeding Kansas", which peaked from 1854 to 1858. Crimes committed by border ruffians included electoral fraud, intimidation, assault, property damage and murder; many border ruffians took pride in their reputation ... Anti-Slavery forces from Kansas were called “Jayhawkers”. > **[Jayhawker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayhawkers)** > > Jayhawker is a term that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; it was adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These groups were guerrillas who often clashed with pro-slavery groups from Missouri, known at the time in Kansas Territory as "Border Ruffians" or "Bushwhackers". After the Civil War, the word "Jayhawker" became synonymous with the people of Kansas, or anybody born in Kansas. Today a Th... > **[Bleeding Kansas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_Kansas)** > > Antislavery settlers(Jayhawkers/Free-Staters) Pro-slavery settlers (Border ruffians) Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in the Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over whether slavery should be permitted in the proposed state of Kansas. > **[Bleeding Kansas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_Kansas#Meeting_of_North_and_South)** > > Antislavery settlers(Jayhawkers/Free-Staters) Pro-slavery settlers (Border ruffians) Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in the Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over whether slavery should be permitted in the proposed state of Kansas. So, it generally meets the OP terms. [/QUOTE] My bad. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573/20 "2006-09-06T17:02:59Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] [The Aroostook War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroostook_War), between Maine and New Brunswick, was almost certainly the only war between a US state and a Canadian province (both terms defined broadly, of course). [/QUOTE] Heh, I’d never heard about that one! Thanks for the cite! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-wars-between-us-states/371573.md?page=2)