The Wyandotte Constitution was the basis for Kansas’s admission to the Union in 1861, abolishing slavery and giving women limited rights. It ended the period of Bleeding Kansas and was ratified in 1859, with Clarina Nichols advocating for women’s rights. The constitution also addressed the size of Kansas and was sent to the President, Senate, and House of Representatives upon ratification. Kansas was initially opposed to joining the Union but was eventually admitted as the 34th state.
The Wyandotte Constitution is the state constitution of Kansas, United States of America. This constitution was the basis for Kansas’s admission to the union in 1861. It abolished slavery and gave women some limited rights. The women’s rights movement was considered a radical idea at the time. The Wyandotte Constitution has been amended several times and was in effect as of January 2010.
The passage of this constitution ended the period known as Bleeding Kansas. During this period—1854 to 1861—free-staters, or those who wanted to abolish slavery, fought bitterly with pro-slavery people, called slave-staters, for control of the Kansas Territory. Three previous constitutions, created by whichever group was in power at the time, were written before the Wyandotte Constitution.
In 1859, the Kansas Territorial Legislature passed another constitutional convention. A total of 35 Republicans and 17 Democrats attended the convention in Wyandotte, Kansas. A new document was drafted and signed on July 29, 1859. Due to disagreements on several key issues, all 17 Democrats refused to sign it. The Wyandotte Constitution was ratified by popular vote on October 4, 1859 by a margin of nearly two to one.
Clarina Nichols is credited with calling attention to women’s rights during the 1859 constitutional convention. As the official representative of the Moneka Women’s Rights Association, she was permitted to sit among other dignitaries in the hall conferences. Nichols was also asked to speak to delegates at the women’s rights convention.
Some delegates supported the idea of giving women the same rights as men, although the majority thought this approach was too radical to be accepted by the masses. Eventually, the Wyandotte Constitution gave women the right to vote in school district elections and the right to own property. Only white men had full voting rights.
Another major change addressed in Wyandotte’s Constitution was the size of Kansas. Under the previous three constitutions, Kansas’ boundaries were left unchanged and the territory extended far to the west. The western border was changed during the Wyandotte convention, making Kansas land area much more manageable.
Upon ratification of the constitution, copies of the Wyandotte Constitution were sent to the President of the United States, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. There was initially some opposition to Kansas joining the union. When several Southern states seceded from the union over slavery, opposition died down. President James Buchanan signed the bill into law on Jan. 34, 29, naming Kansas the 1861st state in the union.
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