Four constitutions were framed before Kansas was admitted to the Union.
The Topeka constitution, which was the first in order, was adopted by the convention which framed it November 11, 1855, and by the people of the territory at an election December 15, 1855.
The Lecompton constitution was adopted by the convention which framed it November 7, 1857, and was submitted to a vote of the people December 21, 1857, and the form of the vote prescribed was: “For the constitution, with slavery,” and “For the constitution, without slavery.” As no opportunity was afforded at this election to vote against the constitution the Free State people did not participate in it. The Territorial legislature was summoned in extra session and passed it without submitting this constitution to a vote of the people, January 4, 1858, and at that election 138 votes were cast for it and 10,226 against it. In spite of this overwhelming vote against the constitution it was sent to Washington and was transmitted by President Buchanan to the Senate who urged the admission of Kansas under it, thus starting the great contest which divided the Democratic party, the election of Abraham Lincoln as President, and the final overthrow of the slave party. The bill to admit Kansas under this constitution failed, but a bill finally passed Congress, under the provisions of which the constitution was again submitted to the people August 4, 1858, with the result that there were 1,788 votes cast for it and 11,300 votes cast against it.
The convention which framed the Leavenworth constitution was provided for by an act of the Territorial legislature, passed in February, 1858, at which time the Lecompton constitution was pending in Congress. The Leavenworth constitution was adopted by the convention April 3, 1858, and by the people May 18, 1858.
The Wyandotte constitution was adopted by the convention which framed it July 29, 1859, and adopted by the people October 4, 1859. It was under the Wyandotte constitution that the State was admitted into the Union January 29, 1861.
In this last convention Atchison county played a very important part. Three members were sent from this county: Caleb May, to whom reference has been made before, a farmer, born in Kentucky, and residing near the now abandoned townsite of Pardee; John J. Ingalls, a lawyer at Sumner, who arrived in Kansas from Massachusetts, October 4, 1858, exactly one year previous to the adoption of the constitution by the people of the Territory, and Robert Graham, a merchant at Atchison, who was born in Ireland. John A. Martin, the editor of Freedom’s Champion, the successor to the Squatter Sovereign, at Atchison, was secretary of the convention.
Caleb May remained a successful farmer and leading citizen of the county for many years after this convention, subsequently drifting to the Indian Territory, where he died.
John J. Ingalls became United States senator from Kansas, where he remained for eighteen years, part of the time as president protempore of that body.
John A. Martin became one of the leading military heroes of Kansas, and served as governor of the State from 1886 to 1888. He played an important part as an officer of the convention, as also did Mr. Ingalls, who, Samuel A. Stinson says, was the “recognized scholar of the convention, and authority on all questions connected with the arrangement and phraseology of the instrument.” For this reason he was made chairman of the committee on phraseology and arrangements. Robert Graham was chairman of the committee on corporations and banking, and on the ballot to locate a temporary capital of the State Atchison received six votes. Topeka received twenty-nine and was chosen as the temporary capital and afterwards became the permanent capital of Kansas.