Leavenworth Constitution
Encyclopedia
The Leavenworth Constitution was one of four Kansas
state constitutions proposed during the era of Bleeding Kansas
. The Leavenworth Constitution was drafted by a convention of Free-Staters, and was the most progressive of the four proposed constitutions. The conspicuous aspects of this Constitution were a Bill of Rights that referred to "all men" (making no distinction between the rights of white men and African-American men), the banning of slavery from the state, and a basic framework for the rights of women.
The constitutional convention that framed the Leavenworth Constitution was provided for by an act of the Territorial Legislature passed in February, 1858, during the pendency of the Lecompton Constitution
in Congress. The constitution was adopted by the convention at Leavenworth April 3, 1858, and by the people at an election held May 18, 1858.
The Leavenworth Constitution did not have a great impact on the history of Kansas
as the United States Senate did not approve of the codified laws in the written document. The other proposed state constitutions were the Topeka Constitution
(1855), the Lecompton Constitution
(1857) and the Wyandotte Constitution
(1859).
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
state constitutions proposed during the era of Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
. The Leavenworth Constitution was drafted by a convention of Free-Staters, and was the most progressive of the four proposed constitutions. The conspicuous aspects of this Constitution were a Bill of Rights that referred to "all men" (making no distinction between the rights of white men and African-American men), the banning of slavery from the state, and a basic framework for the rights of women.
The constitutional convention that framed the Leavenworth Constitution was provided for by an act of the Territorial Legislature passed in February, 1858, during the pendency of the Lecompton Constitution
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas . The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution of James H. Lane and other free-state advocates...
in Congress. The constitution was adopted by the convention at Leavenworth April 3, 1858, and by the people at an election held May 18, 1858.
The Leavenworth Constitution did not have a great impact on the history of Kansas
History of Kansas
The history of Kansas, argued historian Carl L. Becker a century ago, reflects American ideals. He wrote: "The Kansas spirit is the American spirit double distilled. It is a new grafted product of American individualism, American idealism, American intolerance. Kansas is America in...
as the United States Senate did not approve of the codified laws in the written document. The other proposed state constitutions were the Topeka Constitution
Topeka Constitution
The Topeka Constitutional Convention was held in October 1855 in the town of Topeka, Kansas Territory. The convention was held in the town's Constitution Hall...
(1855), the Lecompton Constitution
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas . The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution of James H. Lane and other free-state advocates...
(1857) and the Wyandotte Constitution
Wyandotte Constitution
The present Constitution of the State of Kansas was originally known as the Wyandotte Constitution to distinguish it from three proposed constitutions that preceded it...
(1859).
External links
- The Kansas Constitution
- The Leavenworth Constitution
Resources
- Wilder, D.W., "The Annals of Kansas". 1886.
- William G. Cutler, "History of the State of Kansas" 1883