The Wyandotte Constitution is the constitution of the U.S. state of Kansas. The Wyandotte Constitution admitted Kansas as a free state, although it was not the only choice. There were four constitutions made for Kansans to vote on, the Topeka Constitution, the Leavenworth Constitution, the Lecompton Constitution and the Wyandotte 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. The people of Kansas were set to vote on the four constitutions again. After another voting session, the Wyandotte Constitution was to be voted as the constitution of Kansas. Washington approved it and it was decided that the Wyandotte Constitution was the constitution for Kansas. The constitution dramatically reduced the size of the state so its western border did not extend as far as the Rocky Mountains which 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. The convention drafting the 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.
Adoption
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 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.
Terms
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 a rousing speech opposing the exclusion of African-Americans from Kansas. The motion to exclude 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, 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 previous proposed state constitutions were the Topeka Constitution of 1855, the Lecompton Constitution of 1857 and the Leavenworth Constitution of 1858. Amended many times, the Wyandotte Constitution is still the. Slavery is prohibited: "SEC. 6. There shall be no slavery in this State, and no involuntary servitude, except for the punishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted."
Preamble
's constitution is the only state constitution to attempt to recognize "civil privileges" through "Almighty God" distinct from rights of citizens of the United States. The preamble also conflates "America" with "United States" in its reference to seeking "to insure the full enjoyment of our rights as American citizens" rather than citizens of the United States.
