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39-460: The Kansas Territory was created in 1854. The largest issue by far in territorial Kansas was whether slavery was to be permitted or prohibited; aside from the moral question, which at the time was seen as a religious question, the admission of Kansas to the highly polarized Union would help either the pro- or anti-slavery faction in Congress. As a procedure for resolving the issue, Congress accepted

78-626: A home for destitute black children and widows, and conductor on the Underground Railroad. She died in 1885 in California, where she pioneered and agitated to the end. She was an active Underground Railroad Station Master and Conductor while living in Quindaro, Kansas . She left a letter telling about a time when a Freedom Seeker named Caroline was brought to her house. Caroline's slave master and other slave hunters were camped on

117-572: A prosperous New England family, Clarina Nichols fell on hard times after a disastrous early marriage. Supporting herself and her children on "women's wages" — one-half to one-third what men received for similar work — she began writing for a newspaper in Brattleboro, Vermont , the Windham County Democrat in 1845 . She married the editor and publisher, George Nichols; when he became an invalid, she quietly took over his duties at

156-537: A rousing speech opposing the exclusion of African-Americans from Kansas. The motion to exclude African-Americans was subsequently defeated, despite the fact that previously, "all the Democrats and a few of the Republicans favored the exclusion." Another issue delegates considered was that of women's rights. Clarina Nichols , social activist and associated editor of Quindaro Chindowan , an abolitionist newspaper,

195-564: A slave state if it should require half the citizens of Missouri, musket in hand, to emigrate there. According to these emigrants, abolitionists would do well not to stop in Kansas Territory, but keep on up the Missouri River until they reach Nebraska Territory , which was anticipated to be a free state. Before the first arrival of Free-State emigrants from the northern and eastern States, nearly every desirable location along

234-689: The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 threatened to establish slavery outside of the South, Clarina Nichols uprooted her family to become a pioneer and activist in Kansas . Her efforts helped catapult her adopted state into the forefront of women's rights, gaining the respect and support of such women as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton . During the course of an ever-busy life, Clarina Nichols served as teacher, lecturer, editor, writer, farmer, lay doctor and lawyer, government clerk, matron in

273-631: The Missouri border west to the summit of the Rocky Mountains and from the 37th parallel north to the 40th parallel north . Originally part of Missouri Territory , it was unorganized from 1821 to 1854. Much of the eastern region of what is now the State of Colorado was part of Kansas Territory. The Territory of Colorado was created to govern this western region of the former Kansas Territory on February 28, 1861. The question of whether Kansas

312-666: The Pottawatomie massacre of 1856. As it was put later by his son John Brown, Jr. , "only force and fire-arms kept slavery out of Kansas". The upshot was that there were sizeable pro- and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, although the former were more numerous, if one accepted at face value their claim to be genuine Kansas residents. The result was duelling constitutions: for several years Kansas had two governments, in two different cities ( Lecompton and Lawrence ), with two constitutions, one pro- and one anti-slavery, each claiming to be

351-716: The Shawnee Methodist Mission . In the election of 1857, free-staters out-voted the pro-slavery settlers in the Territory, which meant that the Territorial Legislature fell into free-state hands. Then, on October 4, 1859, the Wyandotte Constitution was approved in a referendum by a vote of 10,421 to 5,530, and after its approval by the U.S. Congress, Kansas was admitted as a free state on January 29, 1861, shortly after

390-700: The Topeka Constitution , the Leavenworth Constitution , and the Lecompton Constitution . After voting took place in a climate of intimidation and open violence , the Lecompton Constitution was voted to be the constitution of Kansas, and would have made Kansas a slave state. All that was left to do was send it to Washington D.C. After a rigorous national debate over the topic, it was overruled, and

429-509: The United States Senate , and who entered upon the duties of their officer. The first governor was Andrew Horatio Reeder (of Easton, Pennsylvania ) was appointed June 29, 1854 and removed July 28, 1858. On March 30, 1855, " Border Ruffians " from Missouri entered Kansas during the territory's first legislative election and voted in a pro-slavery Territorial Legislature. Antislavery candidates prevailed in one election district,

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468-595: The 1850s. The land that would become Kansas Territory was considered to be infertile by 19th century American pioneers. It was called the Great American Desert , for it lacked trees and was drier than land eastward. Technically, it was part of the vast grasslands that make up the North American Great Plains and supported giant herds of American bison . After the invention of the steel plow and more sophisticated irrigation methods

507-544: The Constitution of the State of Kansas, with the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at a point on the western boundary of the State of Missouri, where the thirty-seventh parallel of north latitude crosses the same; thence running west on said parallel to the twenty-fifth meridian of longitude west from Washington ; thence north on said meridian to the fortieth parallel of north latitude ; thence east on said parallel to

546-535: The Missouri River had been claimed by men from western Missouri, by virtue of the preemption laws . During the long debate that preceded the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, it had become the settled opinion at the North that the only remaining means whereby the territory might yet be rescued from the grasp of the slave power, was in its immediate occupancy and settlement by anti-slavery emigrants from

585-714: The Southern legislators, who would never have permitted a new free state, had walked out. The last legislative act of the Territorial Legislature was the approval of the charter for the College of the Sisters of Bethany . This was February 2, 1861—four days after James Buchanan signed the act of Congress that officially brought Kansas into the Union. James H. Lane joined the Free-State movement in 1855 and became president of

624-559: The Topeka Constitutional Convention, which met from October 23 to November 11, 1855. He was later a leader of " Jayhawkers ." The first Free-state mass-meeting was in Lawrence on the evening of June 8, 1855; it was stated that persons from Missouri had invaded and had stolen elections to the legislature of the territory. It was claimed that some Missourians had used violence toward the persons and property of

663-781: The Union, their senators left their seats and on January 21, 1861, the Senate passed the Kansas bill. The admission of Kansas as a free state became effective January 29, 1861. The constitution settled the terms of Kansas ' admission to the United States , particularly establishing that it would be a free state rather than a slave state . The constitution represented a pragmatic compromise over hotly contested issues: it rejected slavery and affirmed separate property rights for married women and their right to participate in school elections, but also denied universal suffrage for women, blacks, and Indians. Solon O. Thacher of Lawrence gave

702-499: The adjacent territory, selected a section of land, and then united with fellow-adventurers in a meeting or meetings, intending to establish a pro-slavery preemption upon all this region. As early as June 10, 1854, the Missourians held a meeting at Salt Creek Valley, a trading post 3 miles (5 km) west from Fort Leavenworth , at which a "Squatter's Claim Association" was organized. They said they were in favor of making Kansas

741-522: The area that would become Kansas Territory 33 years later was part of the Missouri Territory . When Missouri was granted statehood in 1821 the area became unorganized territory and contained little to no permanent white settlement with the exception of Fort Leavenworth . The Fort was established in 1827 by Henry Leavenworth with the 3rd U.S. Infantry from St. Louis, Missouri ; it is the first permanent European settlement in Kansas. The fort

780-641: The free states in sufficient numbers to establish free institutions within its borders. The desire to facilitate the colonization of the Territory took practical shape while the bill was still under debate in the United States Congress . The largest organization created for this purpose was the New England Emigrant Aid Company , organized by Eli Thayer . Emigration from the free states (including Iowa , Ohio , and other Midwestern and New England states), flowed into

819-544: The future Riley County . The first session of the legislature was held in Pawnee, Kansas (within the boundary of modern-day Fort Riley ), at the request of Governor Reeder . The two-story stone building still stands and is open to the public, as the First Territorial Capitol of Kansas . The building remained as the seat of the legislature for five days from July 2–6, 1855, then moved nearer Missouri to

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858-399: The inhabitants of the Kansas Territory. It was agreed that Kansas should be a free State and that the stolen election was a gross outrage on the elective franchise and rights of freemen and a violation of the principles of popular sovereignty. Those attending did not feel bound to obey any law of illegitimate legislature enacted and opposed the establishment of slavery. The convention reserved

897-400: The intent to live in Kansas, but more planning to return to Missouri as soon as they had voted. The Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and similar groups sponsored free-state farmers who would move to Kansas. The most famous of these was John Brown , who told the free-state Kansans that violence was unfortunately necessary if Kansas were to be a free state. He put this into practice himself at

936-528: The mid-19th century: temperance , abolition , and the women's movement that emerged largely out of the ranks of the first two. Though prominent enough in her time to merit her own chapter in Anthony's History of Woman Suffrage , Nichols has been overlooked since 1900 and only recently have her contributions to equal rights undergone a reassessment. Born in West Townshend, Vermont in 1810, into

975-546: The only legitimate government of the entire territory. The convention drafting the Wyandotte Constitution was held between July 5, 1859 and on July 29, 1859, at Lipman Meyer's Hall just north of Kaw Point in the former community of Wyandotte (which is now part of Kansas City, Kansas , in Wyandotte County, Kansas ). However, there were also three other constitutions made for Kansans to vote on:

1014-531: The paper. Through her new profession, she was introduced to various reform movements of the day — temperance, women's rights, anti- slavery , dress and diet reform — and embraced many of them. She helped organize the fledgling women's movement in the East. In October 1852, she helped organize the first of several petitions submitted to the Vermont legislature to give women the right to vote in school meetings. When

1053-471: The people of Kansas were set to vote on the four constitutions again. The Wyandotte Constitution was approved in a referendum by a vote of 10,421 to 5,530 on October 4, 1859. In April, 1860, the United States House of Representatives voted 134 to 73 to admit Kansas under the Wyandotte Constitution; however, there was resistance in the United States Senate . As 11 slave states seceded from

1092-438: The proposal of Senator Stephen A. Douglas , that the question be settled by popular sovereignty : the residents of the territory would decide the question by vote. This did not work, because there was no accepted definition of who was a resident of the territory and could therefore vote. Hoping to make Kansas a slave state , thousands of " Border Ruffians " from the neighboring slave state of Missouri poured into Kansas, some with

1131-480: The right to invoke the aid of the Federal government against the lawless course of the slavery propaganda in the territory. 39°19′N 94°55′W  /  39.31°N 94.92°W  / 39.31; -94.92 Clarina Nichols Clarina Irene Howard Nichols (January 25, 1810 – January 11, 1885) was a journalist, lobbyist and public speaker involved in all three of the major reform movements of

1170-464: The settlers of Kansas Territory to determine by popular sovereignty whether Kansas would be a free state or a slave state . The Act contained thirty-seven sections. The provisions relating to Kansas Territory were embodied in the last eighteen sections. Some of the more notable sections were: Within a few days after the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, hundreds of Missourians crossed into

1209-475: The territory beginning in 1854. These emigrants were known as Free-Staters . Because Missourians had claimed much of the land closest to the border, the Free-Staters were forced to establish settlements further into Kansas Territory. Among these were Lawrence , Topeka , and Manhattan . To protect themselves against the encroachments of non-residents, the "Actual Settlers' Association of Kansas Territory"

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1248-660: The thick prairie soil would be broken for agriculture. By the 1850s immigration pressure was increasing and organization into a Territory was desired. Kansas Territory was established on May 30, 1854, by the Kansas–Nebraska Act . This act established both the Nebraska Territory and Kansas Territory. The most momentous provision of the Act in effect repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed

1287-500: The vote. During part of the territorial period there were two territorial legislatures, with two constitutions, meeting in two cities (one capital was burned by partisans of the other capital). Two applications for statehood, one free and one slave, were sent to the U.S. Congress. The departure of Southern legislators in January 1861 facilitated Kansas' entry as a free state, later the same month. From June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821,

1326-550: The western boundary of the State of Missouri; thence south with the western boundary of said State to the place of beginning. Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas . The territory extended from

1365-421: Was asked to address the convention. As a result of her efforts, women gained the rights to own property and to participate in school district elections. In addition, the constitution assured that the state would provide for women's equal rights "in the possession of their children." The constitution dramatically reduced the size of the state so its western border did not extend as far as the Rocky Mountains which

1404-816: Was established as the westernmost outpost of the American military to protect trade along the Santa Fe Trail from Native Americans . The trade came from the East, by land using the Boone's Lick Road , or by water via the Missouri River . This area, called the Boonslick , was located due east in west-central Missouri and was settled by Upland Southerners from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee as early as 1812. Its slave-holding population would contrast with settlers from New England who would eventually arrive in

1443-562: Was formed. This association held a meeting on August 12, 1854, the object being the adoption of some regulations that should afford protection to the Free-State settlers, under laws not unlike those adopted by the pro-slavery squatters in the border region east. The first territorial appointments, looking to the inauguration of a local government, under the provisions of the organic law, were made in June and July 1854. The officers appointed by President Pierce , whose appointments were confirmed by

1482-530: Was part of Kansas Territory and at the time was the height of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush . The three earlier constitutions had set the western border as the Rockies. The land that was given up became part of Colorado Territory . We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges, in order to insure the full enjoyment of our rights as American citizens, do ordain and establish

1521-533: Was to be a free or a slave state was, according to the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas–Nebraska Act , to be decided by popular sovereignty , that is, by vote of the Kansans. The question of which Kansans were eligible to vote led to an armed-conflict period called Bleeding Kansas . Both pro-slavery and free-state partisans encouraged and sometimes financially supported emigration to Kansas, so as to influence

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