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The Leavenworth Constitution was the most radical of the four constitutions drafted for Kansas Territory. The Bill of Rights refers to "all men" and prohibited slavery from the state. The word "white" did not appear in the proposed document and therefore would not have excluded free blacks from the state. Article XVI, Section 3 directed the general assembly to provide some protection for the rights of women. The Leavenworth Constitution was ratified on May 18, 1858 but the U.S. Senate did not act to approve the document. At the time of its creation, the separate pages of the Leavenworth Constitution were pasted together and rolled into one long roll. It still exists in this state today. The last two articles, schedule, and signatures are missing from the original held by the State Archives. For information on the 1877 discovery of the original Leavenworth Constitution see the August 19, 2010 Kansas Memory blog post.

Date: April 3, 1858

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Leavenworth Constitution - 1

Item Number: 207410
Call Number: State Archives
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 207410

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