Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: When did Kansas become a territory?
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Kansas.
Osage Mission's post was located at the Osage Catholic Mission, which was established in 1847. Eventually, Osage Mission became the town of St. Paul, Kansas, inside what would become Neosho County, Kansas. The Mission was located about north of the Kansas-Indian Territory border. Indian Territory eventually became the state of Oklahoma. When the Civil War erupted, Father John Schoenmakers wanted to keep the Mission as neutral ground and thus out of the conflict. Although at one point Schoenmakers had to flee for a time, he pretty much succeeded in keeping Osage Mission itself out of harm's way.
The archdiocese was originally established as the Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory East of the Rocky Mountains on July 19, 1850 by Pope Pius IX. It was composed of the present day states of Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. It lost territory and its name was changed to the Vicariate Apostolic of Kansas in 1857. The vicariate was elevated to the Diocese of Leavenworth by Pope Leo XIII on May 22, 1877. It lost territory in 1887 when the dioceses of Concordia and Wichita were created, and in 1897 when several counties were moved to Concordia. The name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Kansas City in Kansas on May 10, 1947 by Pope Pius XII. All of these jurisdictions were in the Ecclesiastical Province of Saint Louis.
Kansas Territory was established on May 30, 1854 by the Kansas–Nebraska Act. This act established both the Nebraska Territory and Kansas Territory. The most momentous provision of the Act in effect repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed the settlers of Kansas Territory to determine by popular sovereignty whether Kansas would be a free state or a slave state.
From June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821 the area that would become Kansas Territory 33 years later was part of the Missouri Territory. When Missouri was granted statehood in 1821 the area became unorganized territory and contained little to no permanent white settlement with the exception of Fort Leavenworth. The Fort was established in 1827 by Henry Leavenworth with the 3rd U.S Infantry from St. Louis, Missouri; it is the first permanent European settlement in Kansas.[1] The fort was established as the westernmost outpost of the American military to protect trade along the Santa Fe Trail from Native Americans. The trade came from the East, by land using the Boone's Lick Road, or by water via the Missouri River.[2] This area, called the Boonslick, was located due east in west-central Missouri and was settled by Upland Southerners from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee as early as 1812.[3] It's slave-holding population would contrast with settlers from New England who would eventually arrive in the 1850s.
In the early 1850s, U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois sought the adoption of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The bill provided for Kansas and Nebraska to become territories with provision for "popular sovereignty," the idea that the citizens of each new territory would be allowed to vote on whether the territory should be slave or free. This produced a sharp reaction on the part of those opposed to slavery in the territories, because the Missouri Compromise of 1820 had stated that the lands that comprised Kansas and Nebraska should be free territory, not slave territory.
The idea for a public university in the Kansas Territory was first publicly raised by Territorial Governor Andrew Reeder on July 3, 1855, when he addressed members of the first territorial legislature, saying: "To enlarge upon the necessity of general education for producing good government," he told the lawmakers, "would be at this day a work of supererogation, and I leave the matter in your hands, confident it will receive the attention it deserves." Following his speech, the session responded by establishing a system of common schools for the territory, and also approved a charter for a "University of the Territory of Kansas," proposed to be located in Douglas, Kansas (near present-day Lecompton). However, this proposed university never came to be. Both Free-Staters and their opposition continued to fight fiercely for the right to control the university.
After abandoning its forts in the Indian Territory early in the Civil War, the Union Army was unprepared for the logistical challenges of trying to regain control of the territory from the Confederate government. The area was largely undeveloped relative to its neighbors: roads were sparse and primitive, and railroads did not yet exist in the territory. Pro-Union Indians had abandoned their own farms because of raids by pro-Confederacy Indians and fled to Kansas or Missouri, seeking protection from better-organized Union forces there. The Union did not have enough troops to control the few roads, and it was not feasible to sustain a large military operation by living off the land. This was demonstrated in 1862 when General William Weer's "Indian Expedition" into the Indian Territory from Kansas met with disaster when food and supplies were quickly exhausted and Union supply trains failed to arrive.
Upon taking office, Buchanan appointed Robert J. Walker to replace John W. Geary as territorial governor, with the mission of reconciling the settler factions and approving a constitution. Walker, who was from Mississippi, was expected to assist the proslavery faction in gaining approval of a new constitution. However, after months in office, Walker came to believe that slavery was unsuited for the region, and thought that Kansas would ultimately become a free state. In October 1857, the Lecompton government organized territorial elections that were so marked by fraud that Walker threw out the returns from several counties. Nonetheless, that same month, the Lecompton government framed a pro-slavery state constitution (known as the "Lecompton Constitution") and, rather than risking a referendum, sent it directly to Buchanan. Though eager for Kansas statehood, even Buchanan was forced to reject the entrance of Kansas without a state constitutional referendum, and he dispatched federal agents to bring about a compromise. The Lecompton government agreed to a limited referendum in which Kansas would vote not on the constitution overall, but rather merely on whether or not Kansas would allow slavery after becoming a state. The Topeka government boycotted the December 1857 referendum, and slavery overwhelmingly won the approval of those who did vote. A month later, the Topeka government held its own referendum in which voters overwhelmingly rejected the Lecompton Constitution.
Upon the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act on May 30, 1854, the borders of Kansas Territory were set from the Missouri border to the summit of the Rocky Mountain range (now in central Colorado); the southern boundary was the 37th parallel north, the northern was the 40th parallel north. North of the 40th parallel was Nebraska Territory. When Congress set the southern border of the Kansas Territory as the 37th parallel, it was thought that the Osage southern border was also the 37th parallel. The Cherokees immediately complained, saying that it was not the true boundary and that the border of Kansas should be moved north to accommodate the actual border of the Cherokee land. This became known as the Cherokee Strip controversy.
A committed abolitionist, Hurd was active in abolitionist politics in Chicago. When the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 repealed the Missouri Compromise, Hurd traveled to Buffalo, New York for the founding of a national committee to protect the rights of northern settlers in the Kansas Territory. Hurd served as the secretary of this organization's executive committee, which was headquartered in Chicago. After the Kansas crop failures of 1856, this committee voted to raise funds to send seed to northern settlers in the Kansas Territory, and to provide John Brown with $5,000 to fund his activities. When there were not enough funds for both projects, Hurd decided to spend the money on seed for the settlers, a decision that ultimately upset Brown and drew criticism from Gerrit Smith, but which was vindicated when the seed arrived in Lawrence, Kansas. In the absence of this seed, the northern settlers would have had no choice but to leave the Kansas Territory. In the wake of the Pottawatomie Massacre, John Brown was forced to flee the Kansas Territory. While Brown was staying at the home of John W. Jones, his clothes were so ragged that he needed a new suit; since Hurd was approximately the same size as Brown, Hurd was fitted for the suit which was then sent to Brown.
Kansas was first settled by European Americans in 1827 with the establishment of Fort Leavenworth. The pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the slavery debate. When it was officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854 with the Kansas–Nebraska Act, abolitionist Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri rushed to the territory to determine whether Kansas would become a free state or a slave state. Thus, the area was a hotbed of violence and chaos in its early days as these forces collided, and was known as Bleeding Kansas. The abolitionists prevailed, and on January 29, 1861,[9][10] Kansas entered the Union as a free state.
American Civil War, 1861–65 Bleeding Kansas Compromise of 1850 Historic regions of the United States History of Kansas Mexican–American War, 1846–48 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848 Pike's Peak Country Pike's Peak Gold Rush, 1858–61 Territorial evolution of the United States Territories of Spain that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Kansas: Santa Fé de Nuevo Méjico, 1598–1821 Luisiana, 1764–1803 Territory of France that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Kansas: Louisiane, 1682–1764 and 1803 Territory of Mexico that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Kansas: Santa Fé de Nuevo México, 1824–48 Territorial claim of the Republic of Texas, 1836–45 U.S. territories that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Kansas: Louisiana Purchase, 1803–04 District of Louisiana, 1804–05 Territory of Louisiana, 1805–12 Territory of Missouri, 1812–21 Adams-Onís Treaty, 1819 Former territorial claim of the Republic of Texas, 1845–50 Mexican Cession, 1848 U.S. territories that encompassed land that was previously part of the Territory of Kansas: Territory of Jefferson, 1859–61 (extralegal) Territory of Colorado, 1861–76 US states that encompass land that was once part of the Territory of Kansas: State of Kansas, 1861 State of Colorado, 1876
When Kansas Territory was incorporated in 1854 due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was essentially repealed. Bordering the slave state of Missouri to its east, the county (Miami) and surrounding areas became a location for violence between abolitionists and the "Border Ruffians" of Missouri. These acts of violence and battles that took place primarily from 1854–1858, became known as border wars, and Kansas became known as Bleeding Kansas. Kansas Territory was not yet a state, and it was a battle on which forces would become dominant, slave or free. Many abolitionists came from other states to live in the area and ensure Kansas' entry as a state as a free, or anti-slavery one. The county's most notable abolitionist was John Brown, who moved to Osawatomie, making it the headquarters for him and his anti-slavery forces. As a result of this, Osawatomie, as well as the surrounding countryside and communities became the center for several battles and acts of violence during this period. Near Osawatomie are historic sites of John Brown, such as his famous Civil War lookout.
Montana County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed from February 2, 1859 to January 29, 1861, when Kansas joined the Union as a state.
It was claimed that some Missourians had used violence toward the persons and property of the inhabitants of the Kansas Territory. It was agreed that Kansas should be a free State and that the stolen election was a gross outrage on the elective franchise and rights of freemen and a violation of the principles of popular sovereignty. Those attending did not feel bound to obey any law of illegitimate legislature enacted and opposed the establishment of slavery. The convention reserved the right to invoke the aid of the Federal government against the lawless course of the slavery propaganda in the territory.
Reeder took the oath of office on July 7 and arrived in Kansas on October 7. He served until April 17, 1855, when he left the territory, making Daniel Woodson acting territorial governor. Reeder returned to the Kansas Territory on June 23. As governor of the Territory of Kansas, Reeder was a proponent of the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act. On March 30, 1855, one of the biggest voting frauds took place, when neighboring Missourians came into the Kansas Territory to vote illegally on the issue of Kansas being admitted into the U.S. as a free state or a slave state. The incident caused border violence between Kansas and Missouri, referred to as Bleeding Kansas. Reeder refused to ratify the results, called for a new election to fill the vacancies, and designated the townsite of Pawnee as the meeting place for the first territorial legislature.
The New England Emigrant Aid Company (originally the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company) was a transportation company founded in Boston, Massachusetts by Eli Thayer in the wake of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed the population of Kansas Territory to choose whether slavery would be legal. The Company's ultimate purpose was to transport anti-slavery immigrants into the Kansas Territory. The Company believed that if enough anti-slavery immigrants settled "en masse" in the newly-opened territory, they would be able to shift the balance of political power in the territory, which in turn would lead to Kansas becoming a free state (rather than a slave state) when it eventually joined the United States. The New England Emigrant Aid Company is noted less for its direct impact than for the psychological impact it had on proslavery and antislavery elements. Thayer's prediction that the Company would eventually be able to send 20,000 immigrants a year never came to fruition, but it spurred Border Ruffians from nearby Missouri, where slavery was legal, to move to Kansas to ensure its admission to the Union as a slave state. That, in turn, further galvanized Free-Staters and enemies of Slave Power.
Oro County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed from February 7, 1859 to January 29, 1861, when Kansas joined the Union as a state.
The Odawa tribe first purchased lands near Ottawa, Kansas, residing there until 1867 when they sold their lands in Kansas and purchased land in an area administered by the Quapaw Indian Agency in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, becoming the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.
James McGrew was born in Adams County, Pennsylvania. He attended local Schools. When he was 22 years old he moved with his parents to the Iowa Territory. Later he ran a department store in Lancaster in that territory. In 1857 he came to Wyandotte County, Kansas where he continued to work as a merchant. He joined the Republican Party and in 1859 and 1860 he was a Member of the Legislative of the Kansas Territory. In addition he was twice elected to the office of the Mayor of Wyandotte, which is now a part of Kansas City, Kansas. In 1862 he was elected to the Kansas Senate.
The Wyandot played an important role in the politics of Kansas. On July 26, 1853, William Walker, a Wyandot, was elected provisional governor of Nebraska Territory (which included Kansas) at a meeting at the Wyandot Council house in Kansas City. He was elected by Wyandot, white traders, and outside interests who wished to preempt the federal government's organization of the territory and to benefit from settlement of Kansas by white settlers. Walker and the others were promoting Kansas as the route for the proposed transcontinental railroad. Although the federal government did not recognize Walker's election, the political activity prompted the federal government to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act to organize Kansas and Nebraska territories.
During Brooks' service as Representative, there was great controversy over slavery in Kansas Territory and whether Kansas would be admitted as a free or slave state. He supported actions by pro-slavery men from Missouri to make Kansas a slave territory. (See "Bleeding Kansas".) In March 1856, Brooks wrote: "The fate of the South is to be decided with the Kansas issue. If Kansas becomes a hireling [i.e. free] State, slave property will decline to half its present value in Missouri ... [and] abolitionism will become the prevailing sentiment. So with Arkansas; so with upper Texas."
The Pawnee and the Kansa, who used the area as hunting and trapping ground, claimed land along the Saline until the 1850s when American settlers began to arrive. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 established Kansas Territory, which included the entire length of the Saline River. By 1873, the U.S. government had forcibly removed the Kansa to a reservation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
Peketon County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed from February 7, 1859 to January 29, 1861, when Kansas joined the Union as a state.