Omar Bennett
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in 1857 in Lecompton, Kansas, by pro-slavery advocates. It was the second of four proposed constitutions of Kansas and was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution. The Lecompton Constitution enshrined slavery in the proposed state and protected the rights of slave owners. It was approved in a rigged election in December 1857 but was overwhelmingly rejected in a second vote in January 1858 by a majority of voters in the Kansas Territory. The rejection of the Lecompton Constitution highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices that had marked earlier efforts. Despite this, President James Buchanan endorsed the Lecompton Constitution before Congress, causing a divide in the Democratic Party. The question remains: was the Lecompton Constitution passed by popular sovereignty?
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What You'll Learn
The Lecompton Constitution was pro-slavery
The Lecompton Constitution was a pro-slavery document drafted by pro-slavery advocates in Lecompton, Kansas in 1857. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution. The Lecompton Constitution included provisions to protect slavery in the state and to exclude free people of colour from its bill of rights. It enshrined slavery in the proposed state and protected the rights of enslavers.
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted by a pro-slavery territorial legislature that called for a constitutional convention to be held in Lecompton, Kansas, in September 1857. Free-state men refused to participate in the June 1857 election for convention delegates as they believed pro-slavery influences and fraud tainted the election. Consequently, pro-slavery delegates dominated the constitutional convention. The convention was legally constituted and was invested with the power to frame a constitution.
The Lecompton Constitution was submitted to Congress in February 1858 by President James Buchanan, a pro-Southern Democrat. Buchanan endorsed the Lecompton Constitution before Congress, arguing that it was necessary to prevent Southern secession and preserve the Union. While Buchanan received the support of Southern Democrats, many Northern Democrats, led by Stephen A. Douglas, sided with the Republicans in opposition to the constitution. Douglas, the author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, vehemently opposed the Lecompton Constitution because it lacked true popular sovereignty. He argued that the voters of Kansas should have the right to decide whether any slaves could enter their territory.
The Lecompton Constitution was rejected by Kansas voters in a referendum on January 4, 1858, by a vote of 10,226 to 138. The rejection of the Lecompton Constitution highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices that had marked earlier efforts. The document was also rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1858. Kansas was eventually admitted to the Union as a free state in 1861.
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It was drafted in 1857
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in 1857 by pro-slavery advocates and included provisions to protect slavery in the state of Kansas. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. Named for the city of Lecompton, Kansas, where it was drafted, it was strongly pro-slavery and never went into effect.
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. The territorial legislature—which, because of widespread electoral fraud, mainly consisted of enslavers—met at the designated capital of Lecompton in September 1857 to produce a rival document. Free-state supporters, who comprised most actual settlers, boycotted the vote.
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted and signed in Constitution Hall, Lecompton, Kansas, in 1857. Built in 1856, Constitution Hall is now a National Landmark and a museum. The Lecompton Constitution was a document framed in Lecompton, the Territorial Capital of Kansas, in 1857 by Southern pro-slavery advocates of Kansas statehood. It contained clauses protecting slaveholding and a bill of rights excluding free blacks, and it added to the frictions leading up to the US Civil War.
The Lecompton Constitutional Convention met in Lecompton the first week of September 1857. They opened their convention on the second floor of Constitution Hall on September 7 and remained in session for four days. After electing permanent officers and choosing a slate of committees, they recessed until October 19, 1857, waiting for the outcome of the October 5 territorial election. Although this election did not appear to be as significant as the one in June for convention delegates, its outcome dramatically shifted political power in the territory from pro-slavery to free-state control.
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It was rejected by Kansas voters in 1858
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in 1857 by pro-slavery advocates and included provisions to protect slavery in the state of Kansas and exclude free people of colour from its bill of rights. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution.
The Lecompton Constitution was initially approved in a rigged election in December 1857, but this was followed by a second vote in January 1858, in which Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected the constitution. This rejection highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices that had marked earlier efforts. The vote was not a true exercise of popular sovereignty as voters were not given the option to reject the constitution entirely—the true anti-slavery option.
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted by a pro-slavery territorial legislature that met at the designated capital of Lecompton in September 1857. Free-state men refused to participate in the election for convention delegates as they believed pro-slavery influences and fraud tainted the election. Consequently, pro-slavery delegates dominated the constitutional convention. The constitution was then submitted to a referendum in which the ""no slavery" option actually included slavery, thus earning a boycott from free soil forces.
The rejection of the Lecompton Constitution by Kansas voters in 1858 was a significant event in the state's march towards statehood and highlighted the deep divisions between pro- and anti-slavery factions. It also exposed the voter fraud and irregular practices that had been employed by pro-slavery supporters. The subsequent admission of Kansas as a free state in 1861 was a victory for the anti-slavery forces and a rejection of the Lecompton Constitution's pro-slavery provisions.
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It was endorsed by President James Buchanan
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in Lecompton, Kansas, in 1857 by pro-slavery advocates. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution. The Lecompton Constitution included provisions to protect slavery in the state and to exclude free people of colour from its bill of rights. It prevented the legislature from emancipating enslaved people without their enslavers' consent and full compensation.
President James Buchanan, a pro-Southern Democrat, endorsed the Lecompton Constitution before Congress. He asked Congress to accept a state constitution from Kansas Territory that allowed slavery. Buchanan's support for the Lecompton Constitution alienated many Democrats, including Stephen Douglas, who felt this constitution violated popular sovereignty. Douglas, the author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, vehemently opposed the Lecompton Constitution because it lacked true popular sovereignty. He threatened to oppose President Buchanan publicly if he continued his support for it. Despite these objections, Buchanan’s support for the Lecompton Constitution never wavered.
The Kansas statehood bill passed the Senate on March 23, 1858, by a vote of 33 to 25. However, on January 4, 1858, Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected the Lecompton Constitution by a vote of 10,226 to 138. The admission of Kansas with the Lecompton Constitution was also rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1858. Kansans rejected the constitution again in August 1858, and Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state in 1861.
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It was opposed by Stephen A. Douglas
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in 1857 by pro-slavery advocates in Lecompton, Kansas. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. It was strongly pro-slavery and included provisions to protect slavery in the state and exclude free people of colour from its bill of rights. It prevented the legislature from emancipating enslaved people without their enslavers' consent and full compensation.
The Lecompton Constitution was opposed by Stephen A. Douglas, a Democrat-Illinois senator and the author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, who felt it violated popular sovereignty. Douglas believed in self-government and the right of the people directly affected to decide for themselves on the issue at hand. In the case of the Lecompton Constitution, Douglas argued that the voters of Kansas should have the right to decide whether any slaves could enter their territory. The vote on the Lecompton Constitution did not represent true popular sovereignty as voters were not given the option to reject the constitution entirely—the true anti-slavery option. The ""Constitution with no Slavery" clause would not have made Kansas a free state; it would have banned the future importation of enslaved people into Kansas, which was deemed unenforceable.
Douglas's opposition to the Lecompton Constitution cost him support among Southerners, who believed he was siding with the Republicans in preventing another slave state from entering the Union. Douglas's unrelenting support for the constitution also alienated many Democrats, including President James Buchanan, who supported the Lecompton Constitution and received the backing of Southern Democrats. Douglas's objections to the Lecompton Constitution and his alignment with the Republicans prompted prominent members of the infant Republican Party to urge support for his 1858 re-election bid.
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Frequently asked questions
The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. It was drafted in 1857 in the city of Lecompton, Kansas, and was strongly pro-slavery.
The Lecompton Constitution was approved in a rigged election in December 1857. However, it was overwhelmingly rejected in a second vote in January 1858 by a majority of voters in the Kansas Territory.
The Lecompton Constitution was endorsed by President James Buchanan, a pro-slavery Southern Democrat. However, it faced opposition from Northern Democrats, led by Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who argued that it violated the principle of popular sovereignty.
The Lecompton Constitution was rejected by Kansas voters in a referendum on January 4, 1858, and by the U.S. House of Representatives later that year. Kansas was eventually admitted to the Union as a free state in 1861.
