Eleanor Finch
The Leavenworth Constitution was a radical anti-slavery state constitution drafted in 1858. It was the third Kansas Constitutional Convention, and its purpose was to grant voting rights to African Americans and guarantee them the power and protection of American citizenship. The constitution was ratified by Kansas voters but failed to gain approval from the US Congress. Despite its lack of official recognition, the Leavenworth Constitution stands as an early example of Brandeisian thinking, where territories act as laboratories of democracy.
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What You'll Learn
- The Leavenworth Constitution was an attempt to abolish slavery and grant voting rights to African Americans
- It was drafted in 1858, promising freedom of speech and worship
- The constitution was ratified by Kansas voters but rejected by the US Congress
- It was an early example of Brandeisian thinking, with Kansas acting as a laboratory of democracy
- The document was named after the town of Leavenworth, which had both pro-slavery and abolitionist residents
The Leavenworth Constitution was an attempt to abolish slavery and grant voting rights to African Americans
The Leavenworth Constitution was drafted in 1858 in the town of Leavenworth, Kansas. The document was an attempt to abolish slavery and grant voting rights to African Americans. It was written by a group of Free-Staters, including abolitionists Charles Foster, Samuel Tappan, and Charles and Sara Robinson, who had left their homes in the east to ensure that Kansas entered the Union as a free state.
The Leavenworth Constitution was a radical document, guaranteeing all the power and protection of American citizenship to men of all races. It stated that "all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and seeking and obtaining happiness and safety". This echoed the language of the Declaration of Independence and was an unprecedented measure at the time.
The constitution was an attempt to grant equal rights of citizenship to black males, including the right to control their own persons, which was considered inalienable. This was a bold move, especially considering that Leavenworth was a proslavery town, and the Law and Order Party, which supported slavery, had been established there. Despite this, the town also had a number of fervent abolitionists who were inspired by John Brown and his war against slavery. They saw the constitution as a way to advance their principles, and so the document was named after the town.
The Leavenworth Constitution was one of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas. It was ratified by Kansas voters but was not approved by the US Congress, which was controlled by pro-slavery leaders at the time. As a result, it did not have a significant impact on the history of Kansas, and the state's constitution was eventually based on the Wyandotte Constitution when it was admitted to the Union in 1861. However, the Leavenworth Constitution stands as an early example of Brandeisian thinking, where states or territories function as "laboratories of democracy", and it demonstrated the commitment and ingenuity of abolitionists in their fight against slavery.
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It was drafted in 1858, promising freedom of speech and worship
The Leavenworth Constitution was drafted in 1858, promising freedom of speech and worship "to the dictates of their own conscience". This was a radical anti-slavery constitution that guaranteed the power and protection of American citizenship to men of all races. It was drafted by Free-Staters, who gathered in the proslavery town of Leavenworth to produce a different kind of constitution. The delegates who gathered in Leavenworth, Kansas, placed the enfranchisement of black males up for consideration a full decade before the federal government.
The document boldly proclaimed that "all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights". These rights included the freedom to enjoy and defend life and liberty, to acquire, possess, and protect property, and to seek happiness and safety. The right of all men to control their own persons was deemed to exist prior to the law and to be inalienable.
The Leavenworth Constitution was an early example of Brandeisian thinking, wherein a territory functions as a "laboratory of democracy". It served as a guiding state charter, promising not only the abolition of slavery but also freedom of speech and worship, as well as freedom to all men regardless of skin colour. The constitution was drafted by delegates from various backgrounds, many of whom were propelled by deep religious convictions to leave abolitionist strongholds and prevent the spread of slavery.
The Leavenworth Constitution was one of four proposed constitutions for the new territory of Kansas. Despite being ratified by Kansas voters, it was not approved by the US Congress or Senate, which were controlled by pro-slavery leaders at the time. Thus, it did not have a significant impact on the history of Kansas. Instead, the Wyandotte Constitution became the official constitution of Kansas when it was admitted to the Union in 1861.
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The constitution was ratified by Kansas voters but rejected by the US Congress
The Leavenworth Constitution was drafted in February 1858, and it guaranteed the power and protection of American citizenship to men of all races. It was a radical anti-slavery constitution that granted voting rights to African Americans. The constitution was drafted by Free-Staters, who were inspired by John Brown and his war against slavery. The document was a bold statement of equality, promising the abolition of slavery, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and freedom to all men regardless of skin colour.
The Leavenworth Constitution was adopted on April 3, 1858, and it was ratified by Kansas voters. However, it was not approved by the US Congress, which was controlled by pro-slavery leaders at the time. The US Senate did not approve of the codified laws in the written document, and it was never recognised as a law of the territory by the governor, James Denver. The Leavenworth Constitution did not have a significant impact on the history of Kansas as a result of this lack of approval from the US Congress.
The Leavenworth Constitution was one of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas during the Bleeding Kansas era, a violent struggle over the expansion of slavery and related political and legal debates. The other proposed constitutions were the Topeka Constitution (1855), the Lecompton Constitution (1857), and the Wyandotte Constitution (1859). The Lecompton Constitution was a pro-slavery document that protected slavery regardless of how Kansans voted. The Leavenworth Constitution, on the other hand, was a reaction to the compromises of the Topeka Constitution, which included an exclusion clause that would have evicted all black people from Kansas.
The Wyandotte Constitution, proposed in 1859, became the constitution of Kansas when it was admitted to the union in 1861. African Americans in Kansas gained suffrage in 1870 after the passage of the federal 15th constitutional amendment.
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It was an early example of Brandeisian thinking, with Kansas acting as a laboratory of democracy
The Leavenworth Constitution was drafted in February 1858 in the town of Leavenworth, Kansas. It was an attempt to create a state constitution that could win the support of Kansans and the US government. Kansas Territory had already spent three years trying to produce such a constitution.
The Leavenworth Constitution was an early vision of the impending American Civil War. It was drafted by delegates who came from various backgrounds but shared a desire to prevent the spread of slavery. Many had been propelled by deep religious convictions to leave abolitionist strongholds, especially Massachusetts, and head west to Kansas. The drafters started from scratch, creating a broader vision of equality that incorporated much of the Free-State agenda.
The Leavenworth Constitution boldly guaranteed all the power and protection of American citizenship to men of all races. It stated that:
> All men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and seeking and obtaining happiness and safety; and the right of all men to the control of their persons exists prior to the law, and is inalienable.
This echoed the language of the Declaration of Independence and was an unprecedented measure to extend equal rights of citizenship to black males. Kansas thus acted as a "laboratory of democracy", with the delegates placing the enfranchisement of black males up for consideration a full decade before the federal government. This was an early example of Brandeisian thinking, wherein states or territories function as "laboratories of democracy".
The Leavenworth Constitution also promised the abolition of slavery, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and freedom to all men regardless of skin colour. It was one of four proposed constitutions for Kansas, and the most racially progressive. However, it was not approved by the US Congress, which was controlled by pro-slavery leaders at the time. Instead, the Wyandotte Constitution became the constitution of Kansas when it was admitted to the union in 1861.
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The document was named after the town of Leavenworth, which had both pro-slavery and abolitionist residents
The document was named after the town of Leavenworth, Kansas, which had both pro-slavery and abolitionist residents. Despite Leavenworth's noticeable pro-slavery stance, the town was also home to a number of fervent abolitionists. These advocates against slavery found outlets for their principles by creating secret passages to transport slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. They also named the most racially progressive of Kansas's four proposed constitutions after the pro-slavery town. The Leavenworth Constitution was first drafted in February 1858 and boldly guaranteed all the power and protection of American citizenship to men of all races. It was considered one of the most radical of the four constitutions drafted for the new territory because it recognised freed black people as citizens.
The Leavenworth Constitution was crafted as a guiding state charter promising the abolition of slavery, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and freedom to all men regardless of skin colour. It promoted an official state college, a public school system, and affordable land for thousands. The delegates who gathered in Leavenworth, Kansas, placed the enfranchisement of black males up for consideration a full decade before the federal government. The constitution was ratified by Kansas voters but not approved by the U.S. Congress, which was controlled by pro-slavery leaders at the time.
Leavenworth was a hotbed of anti-slavery and pro-slavery agitation in the years before the Civil War, often leading to open physical confrontations on the street and in public meetings. The town was also a key supply base in the settlement of the American West, and many volunteers joined the Union Army from Leavenworth during the Civil War. The surrounding areas, including northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri, were strongholds for Confederate sympathizers.
Leavenworth is the administrative centre of Leavenworth County and the largest city in the county, located on the west bank of the Missouri River. The city has a history of attracting refugee African-American slaves seeking freedom from the slave state of Missouri across the river. Abolition supporters helped them find refuge, and African Americans continued to migrate to the state of Kansas after the war. Leavenworth was also the location of several prisons, including the United States Disciplinary Barracks and the United States Penitentiary.
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Frequently asked questions
The Leavenworth Constitution was a radical anti-slavery constitution drafted in 1858 that aimed to abolish slavery and grant voting rights and citizenship to black males.
The Leavenworth Constitution did not have a significant impact on the history of Kansas as it was not approved by the US Senate or Congress, which was controlled by pro-slavery leaders at the time. The Wyandotte Constitution became the official constitution of Kansas in 1861.
In addition to ending slavery and expanding citizenship and voting rights to black males, the Leavenworth Constitution promoted freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom to control one's person, and the establishment of an official state college and public school system.
The Leavenworth Constitution was drafted during the Bleeding Kansas era, a period of violent struggle over the expansion of slavery in the territory. It was the third Kansas Constitutional Convention, following the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution and the Topeka Constitution, which included an exclusion clause that would have evicted all blacks from Kansas.
