Kansapedia

SUBJECT

TOPIC

TIME PERIOD

COUNTY

CONSTITUTION HALL STATE HISTORIC SITE

NORTHEAST

Built to house the U.S. land office and court, the two-story Constitution Hall was a busy place during Kansas Territory. Lecompton, a community of proslavery supporters, served as the territorial capitol. At the same time, a free-state government was emerging in Topeka. Since the second floor offered one of few public meeting halls in the region organizers met in this space to form the Democratic Party in the territory. Delegates gathered here in fall 1857 to write a constitution they hoped would make Kansas a state. The proslavery document they drafted was eventually defeated after sparking divisive arguments that radiated through the nation.

Samuel Jones was sheriff of Douglas County when he commissioned the wood frame building in 1856. The U.S. land office opened on first floor in January 1857. Soon floods of anxious people filled the office to file claims. Land speculators hoping to make a profit competed with settlers seeking new opportunities.

The building’s interior likely had a rough appearance. Workers in the building complained that the cold was unbearable. The floor contained a large public office, an office for the register and receiver, and a law office in the back. Other offices were soon added. By 1860 the land and receiver’s offices had moved out and the space was occupied by a dry goods merchant.

Quick Facts

Date Built: 1856

City: Lecompton

County: Douglas

Significant People: Samuel Jones, John Calhoun, Charles Robinson, James Lane

State Site: 1986

Upstairs in the meeting hall on January 12, 1857, while proslavery supporters convened the Law and Order Party, the National Democratic Party was formed in the territory. Organizers hoped to broaden the issues of proslavery politics and align with a known national entity.

Territorial legislators gathered on second floor on February 19, 1857, to conduct business. They passed a bill calling for delegate elections in June. The delegates planned to meet that fall to produce a draft of a constitution that would make Kansas a state.

While Congress had rejected the previous free-state Topeka Constitution in 1856, supporters on both sides of the question of slavery remained determined. With suspicions of voter fraud, the sides each held elections and refused to accept the validity of the competing government.

The newly elected delegates met September 7, 1857. Newspaper correspondents from around the nation came to Lecompton to report on the proceedings, knowing the outcome could change the balance of power in the North and South.

Timeline

1857, January – Land office opens on first floor

1857, January 12 – Territorial political convention begins

1857, September 7 – Lecompton Constitutional Convention convenes four-day session

1857, October 19 - Lecompton Constitutional Convention reconvenes and awaits quorum

1857, October 28 - Lecompton Constitutional Convention quorum achieved, session begins

1857, November 7 – Lecompton Constitution drafted

1857, December 21 – Voters approve Lecompton Constitution in first election

1858, January 4 – Voters defeat Lecompton Constitution in second election

1858, August 2 – Voter finally reject Lecompton Constitution in third election

Lodging was difficult to find as the town’s resources were strained by the large number of people. During the four-day session they elected officers and appointed committees, recessing until October 19. Several days passed before enough delegates arrived to achieve a quorum. Finally, on October 28 the convention proceeded. Outside, James Lane rallied free-state supporters in protest of the convention.

After vigorous debate delegates completed the document on November 7 and adjourned the following day. The constitution they sent to voters in December gave few options. They could vote for the Lecompton Constitution with slavery or vote to prevent future slavery importation. They could not reject the document. Either way, slavery would be allowed in Kansas. Freestaters refused to participate in the election. With mostly proslavery voters at the polls, the constitution was approved by a 6,000 to 500 vote and sent it to on Congress. Territorial Governor Robert Walker agreed with freestaters that voting was fraudulent and turned in his resignation. Proslavery supporters prepared to establish a government with John Calhoun as governor.

While proslavery delegates were debating the constitution, freestaters elected their own legislators. A second election, held in January, garnered more participation. Voters 200 to 10,000 opted to defeat the constitution.

U.S. House brawl, February 5, 1858, Frank Leslie's Illustrated

President James Buchanan, under pressure from Southern lawmakers, pushed Congress for a vote. In the U.S. Senate, dominated by Southerners, bitter debate ensued for a month before lawmakers voted to approve 33 to 25. The battle raged and erupted into a fist fight in the U.S. House where Northerners held the majority. Lawmakers worked to pass a substitute bill that would allow Kansans an opportunity to vote on the entire constitution. The Senate rejected that substitute, forcing another compromise, which once again limited voter choice. Kansans soundly defeated the compromise in August 1858. During the process, this turmoil over slavery ignited passions across the nation. In the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the word “Lecompton” was referenced nearly 60 times.

In the midst of the congressional debate on the Lecompton Constitution, territorial delegates drafted a third document, the Leavenworth Constitution, that would have given the vote to all men, regardless of race. Voters ratified this version but the document never gained traction in Congress. The fourth version, the Wyandotte Constitution, was approved in 1859, and provided suffrage for white males 21 and older and included some rights for women. Approved by Congress, it was signed by President Buchanan on January 29, 1861, creating the 34th state. At the same time, Southern states were withdrawing from the Union.

Between legislative functions, Constitution Hall was also home to the territorial supreme court, which issued legal decisions on a wide range of concerns. Here impeachment proceedings were held for Governor Charles Robinson, who was vindicated of all charges. This was a polling place during elections. The building became known as the Masonic Hall in 1857 and served as meeting space for the Grand Army of the Republic, Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen of America, and Rebekah Lodge. Use changed over time to include a boarding and apartment house, school, undertaker’s parlor, and telephone office.

Constitution Hall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1971, and became a National Historic Landmark on May 30, 1974. On April 26, 1986, legislators accepted the building to become a state historic site.