Constitutions of Kansas facts for kids

When a place wants to become a state in the U.S., it needs a special rulebook called a constitution. Back in the 1850s, Kansas Territory was trying to become a state. The biggest question was whether it would be a slave state (where slavery was allowed) or a free state (where slavery was against the law).

This was a huge deal for the whole country! People in the U.S. Senate were very divided over slavery. Because of all this tension, four different constitutions of Kansas were written. Each one tried to decide the future of Kansas and slavery.

Topeka Constitution: The Free-State Try

Read the Topeka Constitution

The Topeka Constitutional Convention was created by people who were against slavery. They met because they felt left out of the first official government of the Kansas Territory. They even called that first government "fake."

They wrote the Topeka Constitution on December 15, 1855. People across the territory voted for it on January 15, 1856, and it passed. This constitution said that Kansas would be a free state. However, it also had a rule that kept free Black people from living in Kansas. This rule was voted on separately, and it also passed.

The Topeka Constitution was sent to the U.S. Congress. The House of Representatives approved it on July 2, 1856. But President Pierce didn't like it. So, it failed in the Senate by just two votes, mostly from Southern senators.

Lecompton Constitution: The Pro-Slavery Attempt

Read the Lecompton Constitution

The official government of the Kansas Territory met in Lecompton in September 1856. They wanted to create their own constitution. The Lecompton Constitution clearly allowed slavery. It even had a whole section (Article 7) just about it.

This constitution was approved in a special vote in December 1857. But many people said this election was "rigged," meaning it wasn't fair. When people voted again in January 1858, most voters in Kansas Territory said no to it.

Even though most people in Kansas didn't want it, the Lecompton Constitution was still sent to Washington, D.C. President Buchanan supported it. The Senate, which had many Southern members, approved it. But the House of Representatives sent it back to Kansas for another vote. On August 2, 1858, the people of Kansas voted against it again, by a huge number.

Leavenworth Constitution: Another Free-State Idea

Read the Leavenworth Constitution

In the 1856 election, the people who wanted Kansas to be a free state won most of the seats in the territory's government. They decided to call for another meeting to write a constitution. They hoped this would stop the Lecompton Constitution from being approved.

This meeting happened in March 1858, first in Mineola and then in Leavenworth. The constitution they wrote was called the Leavenworth Constitution. It was the most "liberal" of the four, meaning it had the most freedoms and rights for people. It was sent to Congress in January 1859, but Congress didn't do anything with it.

Wyandotte Constitution: The Winning Plan

Read the Wyandotte Constitution

The final convention met on July 5, 1859, in Wyandotte. This area is now part of Kansas City, Kansas. The Wyandotte Constitution was approved by the people of the territory on October 4, 1859.

In April 1860, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to let Kansas become a state under the Wyandotte Constitution. But the Senate still didn't want another free state. So, nothing happened until January 1861.

At that time, senators from the Southern states that allowed slavery started leaving their jobs to form their own country. On January 21, 1861, the very day the last of them left, the Senate finally approved the Kansas bill. Kansas officially became a free state on January 29, 1861.

The Wyandotte Constitution is still the constitution for the state of Kansas today!