#OnThisDate January 29, 1861: Kansas Joins Free

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Kansas Became The 34th State Admitted To The United States. This Marked A Crucial Moment In American History, As The Violent Struggle Over Whether Kansas Would Enter As A Free Or Slave State Reflected The Deep Sectional Divisions Leading To The Civil War. The Admission Of Kansas Under The Wyandotte Constitution, Which Banned Slavery, Tipped The Political Balance Toward The North, Inflaming Tensions Between Free And Slave States.

The Conflict Over Kansas’ Statehood Began With The Kansas-Nebraska Act Of 1854, Signed By President Franklin Pierce On May 30, 1854. This Law Allowed Popular Sovereignty, Meaning Settlers Could Decide Whether To Allow Slavery. Pro-Slavery And Anti-Slavery Activists Rushed Into Kansas, Each Trying To Secure The Territory’s Future.

By 1855, The First Territorial Legislature, Dominated By Pro-Slavery Forces, Met In Lecompton. It Enacted Harsh Laws Favoring Slavery, Which Sparked Resistance From Free-Staters, Who Declared The Legislature Illegitimate. In Response, Anti-Slavery Settlers Established A Rival Government In Topeka, Leading To A Constitutional Crisis. The Conflict Soon Escalated Into Violent Clashes, Known As Bleeding Kansas, As Both Sides Fought For Control.

One Of The Most Infamous Events Occurred On May 24, 1856, When Abolitionist John Brown Led The Pottawatomie Massacre, Killing Five Pro-Slavery Settlers. This Act Was Retaliation For The Sack Of Lawrence, In Which Pro-Slavery Forces Attacked And Burned Buildings In The Free-State Town. The Violence Continued For Years, With Hundreds Killed In Skirmishes.

Kansas Endured Four Constitutional Conventions Before Finally Gaining Admission As A Free State. The Most Significant Was The Wyandotte Convention In July 1859, Held In Wyandotte (Modern-Day Kansas City, Kansas). Delegates Drafted A Free-State Constitution, Granting Limited Rights To Women And Restricting Black Settlement. The Wyandotte Constitution Was Approved By Kansas Voters On October 4, 1859, And Sent To Congress.

However, Kansas' Admission Was Blocked By Southern Democrats In The U.S. Senate, Who Feared The Loss Of Another Slave State. This Stalemate Persisted Until 1861, When The Secession Of Southern States Removed Opposition In Congress. The Senate Finally Approved Kansas' Statehood Bill, And President James Buchanan Signed It Into Law On January 29, 1861.

Kansas' Admission As A Free State Worsened Tensions Between North And South. Just Three Months Later, On April 12, 1861, Confederate Forces Fired On Fort Sumter, Starting The Civil War. Kansas, Having Fought Its Own Internal War Over Slavery, Immediately Sided With The Union. The State Provided Over 20,000 Troops To The Union Army, Despite Its Small Population.

Kansas' Violent Struggle Foreshadowed The National Conflict. The State's Nickname, The "Free State," Remains A Symbol Of Its Fight Against Slavery. The Events In Kansas Proved That Slavery Could Not Be Contained Through Compromise, Making The Civil War Inevitable.

The Admission Of Kansas As The 34th U.S. State Was More Than A Routine Expansion—It Was A Decisive Moment In American History. The Battle For Kansas Reflected The Larger National Struggle Over Slavery And Set The Stage For the Civil War. The Sacrifices Made By Its Settlers Ensured That Kansas Would Forever Be Remembered As The State That Bled For Freedom.

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