Simone Lawson
The anti-slavery Topeka Constitution was created in Topeka, Kansas, in 1855. It was written by anti-slavery forces unified under the Free-Soil Party, which was formed by Free-Soil advocates and abolitionists who had moved to Kansas expressly to make it a free state. The Topeka Constitution was created in response to the pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution and was the basis for the Free-State territorial government that resisted the federally authorized government. The creation of the Topeka Constitution was part of a broader conflict in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces, which turned violent and became known as Bleeding Kansas.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 October – 11 November 1855 |
| Location | Topeka, Kansas Territory |
| Purpose | To ban slavery in Kansas |
| Context | The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed voters in the western territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, leading to an influx of pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers into Kansas |
| Participants | Free-Soil settlers, Free-State Party, Whigs, Democrats, Republicans, anti-slavery advocates |
| Opposition | Pro-slavery settlers, Missouri border ruffians, pro-slavery lawyer Benjamin F. Stringfellow |
| Outcome | The Topeka Constitution was ratified by anti-slavery Kansans on 15 December 1855, banning slavery but also excluding free blacks from the territory |
| Reaction | President Franklin Pierce condemned the Topeka Constitution and supported the pro-slavery Kansas government; Congress rejected ratification of the Topeka Constitution on 30 June 1856 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The Topeka Constitution was created in 1855
The mid-19th century saw a surge in pro- and anti-slavery sentiments in the United States, culminating in the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had outlawed slavery in the Louisiana territories north of the 36°30' latitude line. The new act allowed voters in the western territories of Nebraska and Kansas to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery within their borders. This decision was to be made through their vote for a constitution for any new territory that desired statehood.
As a result, pro- and anti-slavery settlers rushed into the Kansas Territory, each side hoping to determine the results of the first election held after the law went into effect. The election of March 30, 1855, saw pro-slavery elements, largely "border ruffians" from neighbouring Missouri, succeed in establishing a pro-slavery legislature in Kansas. This legislature, led by pro-slavery lawyer and politician Benjamin F. Stringfellow, tried to drive out Free-Soil settlers by enacting oppressive and hostile slave codes.
In response, Free-Soil advocates like James H. Lane and abolitionist Charles Robinson expressed bold opinions against the pro-slavery legislature and its slave codes. On September 5, 1855, the Free-State Party met at a convention in Big Springs, Kansas, declaring the federally recognized pro-slavery legislature "bogus". They elected their own legislature and delegate to Congress and called for a state constitutional convention in Topeka to begin in October.
The Topeka Constitutional Convention met from October 23 to November 11, 1855, in Topeka, Kansas Territory. It drafted the Topeka Constitution, which banned slavery in Kansas. The convention was organized by Free-Staters to counter the fraudulent pro-slavery Territorial Legislature elected earlier that year. The Topeka Constitution marked the first effort to form a Kansas governmental structure and define its basis in law.
The Free-State delegates passed the constitution on December 15, 1855, and a territorial election for officers and approval of the constitution was held on January 15, 1856. However, this election was boycotted by most pro-slavery men. The Topeka Constitution was the basis for the Free-State territorial government that resisted the federally authorized government, elected by Missourians who had committed voting fraud.
Founding Documents: Constitution and its Supporting Trio
You may want to see also
It established an anti-slavery government
The Topeka Constitution was a resolution that established an anti-slavery government in Kansas. It was written by anti-slavery forces unified under the Free-Soil Party and drafted by Free-State delegates from October 23 to November 11, 1855, in Topeka, Kansas. The convention was organized to counter the pro-slavery Territorial Legislature elected on March 5, 1855, in a poll tainted by electoral fraud and the intimidation of Free State voters.
The Topeka Constitution banned slavery in Kansas, though it also would have prevented free Black people from living in the state. It granted citizens the rights to "life, liberty, and property and the free pursuits of happiness" and extended suffrage to white men and "every civilized male Indian who has adopted the ways of the white man." The question of admitting free Black people into the state was submitted to a popular vote as a separate issue.
The Free-Soil Party coalesced around the desire to make Kansas a free state, though members varied in their opinions of slavery, with some believing in liberty for all and others in liberty only for white men. The Topeka Constitution was the basis for the Free-State territorial government that resisted the federally authorized government, elected by Missourians who committed fraud by voting in Kansas as residents and then returning to Missouri.
The Topeka Constitution was ratified by anti-slavery Kansans on December 15, 1855, and by a three-to-one margin, they voted to exclude free Black people from the territory. On January 15, 1856, a free-state governor and legislature were elected, creating two competing territorial governments. The House of Representatives voted to admit Kansas to statehood under the Topeka Constitution on July 3, 1856, but President Franklin Pierce condemned the Topeka government as an act of rebellion and committed himself to supporting the pro-slavery government. Congress rejected ratification of the Topeka Constitution on June 30, 1856.
Chicago Parking: Business Street Rules Explained
You may want to see also
The Free-Soil Party wrote it
The Topeka Constitution was written by anti-slavery forces unified under the Free-Soil Party in December 1855. The document was the basis for the Free-State territorial government that resisted the federally authorized government, which had been elected by Missourians who committed voting fraud by voting in Kansas as residents and then returning to Missouri.
The Free-Soil Party wrote the Topeka Constitution to counter the pro-slavery Territorial Legislature elected on March 5, 1855, in polling tainted significantly by electoral fraud and the intimidation of Free-State voters. The Free-Soil Party's constitution banned slavery in Kansas, though it would also have prevented free Black people from living in the state. The convention was held from October 23 to November 11, 1855, in Topeka, Kansas, and the constitution was passed on December 15, 1855.
The Free-Soil Party's Topeka Constitution was a response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which had opened the two territories to settlement under the "popular sovereignty" doctrine. This meant that settlers themselves were supposed to decide the slavery question within their borders without congressional intervention. As a result, control of the territorial government was crucial, and pro-slavery elements (largely "border ruffians" from Missouri) succeeded in establishing a pro-slavery legislature in Kansas.
The Free-Soil Party's constitution called for Kansas territorial citizens to alter their form of government, overthrow an oppressive regime, and repel foreign invaders – in this case, the pro-slavery settlers and Missouri border ruffians who had fraudulently participated in the March 30, 1855, territorial election and established a pro-slavery territorial legislature. The Topeka Constitution was also a response to the oppressive slave codes enacted by this legislature, which were hostile towards abolitionists and anyone even mildly unsupportive of slavery.
The Free-Soil Party's constitution granted citizens the rights to "life, liberty, and property and the free pursuits of happiness," and extended suffrage to white men and "every civilized male Indian who has adopted the ways of the white man." However, it is important to note that some Free-Staters believed Kansas should be open to settlement for whites only, and an "exclusion clause" banning free Black people from entering Kansas Territory was included in the constitution.
Citing Constitutions: In-Text Style Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$13.82 $19.99
It was ratified by anti-slavery Kansans
The Topeka Constitution, written in 1855, was an anti-slavery document that called for Kansas territorial citizens to overthrow an oppressive, pro-slavery regime. The document was drafted by anti-slavery forces unified under the Free-State Party, which included Whigs, Democrats, Republicans, and Free-Soil advocates. The convention was held in response to the pro-slavery Territorial Legislature elected on March 5, 1855, which was tainted by electoral fraud and the intimidation of Free-State voters.
The Topeka Constitution was the first effort to form a Kansas governmental structure and define its basis in law. The constitution banned slavery in Kansas, though it also would have prevented free Black people from living in the state. The Free-State delegates passed the constitution on December 15, 1855, and it was ratified by anti-slavery Kansans. The ratification included a vote to exclude free Black people from the territory by a three-to-one margin.
The anti-slavery forces in Kansas were driven by Free-Soil settlers, who wanted to manifest the democratic ideals of popular sovereignty and bring their struggle against pro-slavery forces to a national audience. The Free-Soil settlers elected their own legislature and delegate to Congress, calling for a state constitutional convention in Topeka. This convention was held from October 23 to November 11, 1855, in Topeka, Kansas, with Jim Lane serving as president.
The ratification of the Topeka Constitution by anti-slavery Kansans was a significant step in the struggle against pro-slavery forces in the territory. However, it was not without controversy, as the question of admitting free Black people into the state was a separate issue that caused division among the Free-Staters. Some believed in liberty for all, while others only supported liberty for white men. Despite this, the ratification of the Topeka Constitution sent a strong message that Kansas territorial citizens were willing to alter their form of government to uphold their ideals.
Founders of the US Constitution: A Historic Gathering of Men
You may want to see also
It was rejected by Congress
The Topeka Constitution was an anti-slavery constitution created in Topeka, Kansas, in 1855. It was drafted by Free-Soil advocates and abolitionists, including James H. Lane and Charles Robinson, who sought to make Kansas a free state. The constitution prohibited slavery and granted citizens the rights to "life, liberty, and property, and the free pursuits of happiness". However, it also included an exclusion clause banning free blacks from entering Kansas, reflecting the racist attitudes of some Free-Staters.
The creation of the Topeka Constitution was a response to the pro-slavery legislature that had been established in Kansas earlier that year, led by the pro-slavery lawyer and politician Benjamin F. Stringfellow. This legislature enacted repressive slave codes and tried to drive Free-Soil settlers out of the territory. The Free-Staters drafted their own constitution and elected their own legislature, calling for Kansas territorial citizens to alter their form of government and overthrow the oppressive pro-slavery regime.
However, the Topeka Constitution was rejected by Congress. On June 30, 1856, President Franklin Pierce condemned the Topeka government as an act of rebellion and declared it extralegal. He committed himself to supporting the pro-slavery Kansas government, and Congress rejected ratification of the Topeka Constitution. Pierce's successor, James Buchanan, also sympathized with the South and pro-slavery interests. Under his administration, a pro-slavery constitution, the Lecompton Constitution, was drafted and endorsed.
The rejection of the Topeka Constitution by Congress was due to a combination of political calculations and ideological sympathies. The South controlled Congress at the time, and its legislators were unwilling to admit Kansas as a free state as it would alter the balance of power in the polarized Senate. Additionally, both Pierce and Buchanan, as Northerners, were sympathetic to the South and sought to appease the slave states, contributing to their rejection of the anti-slavery Topeka Constitution.
Amendments in the Constitution: How Many Exist?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The anti-slavery Topeka Constitution was created in 1855.
The anti-slavery constitution was created in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed voters in the western territories to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery. This led to a rush of pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers into Kansas, resulting in violent conflict known as \"Bleeding Kansas\".
The Topeka Constitution banned slavery and granted citizens the rights to "life, liberty, and property and the free pursuit of happiness". However, it also included an \"exclusion clause\" banning free blacks from entering Kansas Territory.
The Topeka Constitution was initially rejected by Congress in 1856, with President Franklin Pierce condemning it as an act of rebellion. However, anti-slavery delegates won a majority in the 1859 Kansas constitutional convention, and Kansas was eventually admitted as a free state under the anti-slavery Wyandotte Constitution.
![Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection [4 volumes]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/915sPJmpejL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
