Simone Lawson
The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. It was drafted in 1857 by pro-slavery advocates and included provisions to protect slavery in the state. The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution. The Lecompton Constitution was strongly pro-slavery and included a bill of rights that excluded free people of colour. It prevented the legislature from emancipating enslaved people without their enslavers' consent and compensation. The implications of the Lecompton Constitution were far-reaching, as it became a major issue in the nation's road toward the Civil War and highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices of the time.
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What You'll Learn
- The Lecompton Constitution was a pro-slavery document
- It was drafted in response to the anti-slavery Topeka Constitution
- The document was approved in a rigged election
- It was ultimately rejected by Kansas voters and the U.S. House of Representatives
- The debate over the constitution split the Democratic Party
The Lecompton Constitution was a pro-slavery document
The Lecompton Constitution included provisions that protected slavery and excluded free black people from its bill of rights. It stated that the right to property, including enslaved people, was "inviolable". It also prevented the legislature from emancipating enslaved people without their enslavers' consent and full compensation. The constitution left the question of whether new slaves could be brought into the territory to the voters, with the option to choose between a Constitution with Slavery and a Constitution with no Slavery. However, the "Constitution with no Slavery" option would not have made Kansas a free state, but rather would have banned the future importation of enslaved people, which was deemed unenforceable by many.
The drafting of the Lecompton Constitution was marked by voter fraud and intimidation carried out by pro-slavery Missourians, which allowed the pro-slavery document to pass easily. Free-state supporters boycotted the vote, believing that it was tainted by pro-slavery influences and fraud. Despite the controversial nature of the document and the voting irregularities, President James Buchanan, a pro-Southern Democrat, endorsed the Lecompton Constitution before Congress. Buchanan's support for the constitution alienated many Democrats, particularly Northern Democrats, who felt it violated popular sovereignty.
In January 1858, Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected the Lecompton Constitution in a referendum by a vote of 10,226 to 138. The U.S. House of Representatives also refused to honor the constitution, and Kansas was eventually admitted to the Union in 1861 as a free state that did not practice enslavement. The debate over the Lecompton Constitution highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices that had marked earlier efforts and deepened the divide over slavery in the lead-up to the Civil War.
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It was drafted in response to the anti-slavery Topeka Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in direct response to the anti-slavery stance of the 1855 Topeka Constitution. The Topeka Constitution was the work of free-state advocates, including James H. Lane, and it would have effectively banned slavery in Kansas.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed voters in the western territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. This led to a rush of pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers into the Kansas Territory, all hoping to shape the future of the West. The Free-Staters boycotted the registration and election process, resulting in the election of a pro-slavery convention.
In response, pro-slavery legislators called for a convention in Lecompton, Kansas, in September 1857, to draft a constitution that would protect the rights of slave owners and refute the Topeka Constitution. Free-state supporters boycotted this vote, too, and the pro-slavery document passed easily, despite the presence of some voter intimidation and violence.
The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas. It was strongly pro-slavery, protecting the right to enslaved "property" and preventing the legislature from emancipating enslaved people without their enslavers' consent and full compensation. It also prohibited free black people from entering the state. The Lecompton Constitution was never implemented, and Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state.
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The document was approved in a rigged election
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in the city of Lecompton, Kansas, in 1857. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas, and it was strongly pro-slavery. The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution. The territorial legislature, which, due to widespread electoral fraud, mainly consisted of slave owners, met in Lecompton in September 1857 to produce a rival document.
Free-state supporters boycotted the vote. This boycott, combined with illegal voting practices at the polls, including voter intimidation carried out by pro-slavery Missourians, allowed the pro-slavery document to pass easily. Over half of the 6,000 votes were deemed fraudulent. Despite the rigged election, the document was never implemented. It was overwhelmingly defeated in a second vote in January 1858 by a majority of voters in the Kansas Territory.
The rigged election that approved the Lecompton Constitution had far-reaching implications. It highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices that had marked earlier efforts by pro-slavery advocates. It also exposed the deep divisions within the Democratic Party, with many Northern Democrats siding with the Republicans in opposition to the constitution. The mounting division among Democrats allowed the Free-Staters in Kansas, with Republican support, to force a new referendum. In this new round of voting, Kansas voters rejected the Lecompton Constitution by a significant margin, demonstrating that Free-State supporters outnumbered pro-slavery advocates in the territory.
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It was ultimately rejected by Kansas voters and the U.S. House of Representatives
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted in 1857 by pro-slavery advocates and included provisions to protect slavery in the state of Kansas and excluded free people of colour from its bill of rights. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas.
The Lecompton Constitution was rejected by Kansas voters in a referendum on 4 January 1858 by a vote of 10,226 to 138. The referendum offered voters a choice between "Constitution with Slavery" and "Constitution with no Slavery". However, 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, something deemed unenforceable. The referendum was boycotted by free-soilers, and over half of the 6,000 votes were deemed fraudulent.
Despite the clear majority of Kansas voters opposing the Lecompton Constitution, President James Buchanan, a pro-slavery Democrat, demanded that Congress approve it and admit Kansas as a slave state. His support for the constitution alienated many Democrats, including Stephen Douglas, who felt the constitution violated popular sovereignty. Douglas, along with the Republicans, tried to block the Kansas statehood bill.
The U.S. House of Representatives refused to honour the Lecompton Constitution, and Kansas was eventually admitted to the Union in early 1861 as a state that did not practice enslavement. The rejection of the Lecompton Constitution highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices that had marked earlier efforts by bushwhackers and border ruffians.
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The debate over the constitution split the Democratic Party
The Lecompton Constitution was a highly controversial document drafted in 1857 in the city of Lecompton, Kansas. It was the second of four proposed state constitutions of Kansas, and it strongly advocated for the protection of slavery in the state. The constitution was drafted by pro-slavery advocates and included provisions to safeguard slavery and exclude free people of colour from its bill of rights. It also prohibited any amendments to the constitution for a period of seven years and required governors to be citizens for at least 20 years.
The debate over the Lecompton Constitution exposed a deep divide within the Democratic Party, with Southern Democrats supporting it and many Northern Democrats, led by Stephen A. Douglas, opposing it alongside the Republicans. Douglas, the Illinois senator and architect of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, vehemently opposed the Lecompton Constitution on the grounds that it lacked true popular sovereignty and violated the rights of citizens. He threatened to publicly oppose President Buchanan if he continued to support the Lecompton Constitution.
President James Buchanan, a pro-Southern Democrat, endorsed the Lecompton Constitution before Congress, arguing that it was necessary to appease the slave states and prevent Southern secession. He received the support of Southern Democrats, but his endorsement of the constitution alienated many Northern Democrats, who found it increasingly difficult to defend slavery to their constituents. The mounting division among Democrats allowed the Free-Staters in Kansas, with Republican support, to expose the voter fraud that had plagued the Lecompton Constitution and force a new referendum.
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. The debate over the constitution highlighted the irregular and fraudulent voting practices that had marked the process, and it ultimately ripped apart the Democratic Party, with the split persisting through the 1860 election, which was won by the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln.
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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 and strongly supported slavery.
The Lecompton Constitution was a highly controversial document that caused a national crisis as the United States split over the issue of slavery in the decade before the Civil War. It also exposed the voter fraud behind Lecompton and forced a new referendum.
The Lecompton Constitution was rejected by Kansas voters in January 1858 by a vote of 10,226 to 138. It was also rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1858. Kansas eventually entered the Union in 1861 as a state that did not practice slavery.
The Lecompton Constitution was controversial because it was drafted by pro-slavery advocates and included provisions to protect slavery in the state of Kansas. It also excluded free people of colour from its bill of rights and prevented the legislature from emancipating enslaved people without their enslavers' consent.
