Kansas Becomes a State

Tuesday, January 29, 1861

President Lincoln, en route to Washington for his inauguration, raises a flag in Philadelphia to honor the new state of Kansas. Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress.

As Southern states secede from the Union, many of their elected representatives are removed from office. On January 21, 1861, the U.S. Senate finally approves the Wyandotte Constitution, which will admit Kansas into the Union as a free state. On January 29, President James Buchanan signs the bill approving the constitution, and Kansas becomes the 34th state after almost seven years of political and sometimes violent conflict.