Territorial Politics and Government

Unrest was a fact of life in Kansas Territory. Elections fraud was common. Efforts to approve or reject specific constitutions were also disputed. The site of the capital was changed several times. One town, Pawnee, was the capital but the territorial legislature met there for only six days before moving to Shawnee Indian Mission. Four different constitutions were written before Kansas became a state. The Lecompton constitution included a provision to allow slavery. At one point, two governments operated in Kansas. Supporters of slavery established a government according to federal guidelines in Lecompton. Those opposed to slavery claimed control in Topeka. Kansas had ten governors or acting governors in just six years. Kansas settlers had to deal with these disputes as they built homes, farms, and businesses. [More]

Territorial Politics
   Elections
      Delegate to Congress (Nov. 1854)
      Territorial Legislature (Mar. 1855)
      Topeka Constitution delegates to convention (Oct. 1855)
      Topeka Constitution ratification (Dec. 1855)
      Lecompton Constitution delegates to convention (June 1857)
      Territorial Legislature (Oct. 1857)
      Lecompton Constitution ratification (Dec. 1857)
      Lecompton Constitution ratification (Jan. 1858)
      Leavenworth Constitution delegates to convention (March 1858)
      Leavenworth Constitution ratification (May 1858)
      Lecompton Constitution ratification (Aug. 1858)
      Wyandotte Constitution delegates to convention (June 1859)
      Wyandotte Constitution (Oct. 1859)
      First election of state officials (Dec. 1859)
      Other Elections
   Political parties
      Pro-Slavery/Law and Order Party
      Free State Party
      Democratic Party
      Republican Party
   Newspapers
      Free State
      Pro-slavery

Territorial Government
   Legislatures
      Pawnee/Shawnee Mission
      Lecompton
      Topeka
      Lawrence
   Executive Department
      Governors
         Andrew H. Reeder
         Daniel Woodson (acting)
         Wilson Shannon
         John White Geary
         Frederick Perry Stanton (acting)
         Robert John Walker
         James William Denver
         Hugh Sleight Walsh (acting)
         Samuel Medary
         George Monroe Beebe (acting)
      Appointments
      Taxation
      Claims
   Judicial system

Constitution Making
   Constitutional conventions
      Topeka (Oct. 1855)
      Lecompton (Sep. 1857)
      Leavenworth (Mar.-Apr. 1858)
      Wyandotte (July 1859)
   Boundaries
   Rights of women
   Rights of African-Americans