=Qualities that Make the Kansas Spirit.= These characteristics are
not, however, peculiar to the Kansas people, for the early settlers of
other states lived on the frontier and developed these same qualities.
But Kansas had a Territorial history which was very different from
that of any other state and which has left its impress upon the
people. Other pioneers have had the great task of making a state out
of a wilderness, but Kansas pioneers had a second great task, that of
making a free state in the face of the most determined opposition.
They came to Kansas as the Puritans came to America, in the name of
liberty. They were stern, unyielding, purposeful men and women, sure
of the presence of divine leadership, and their character has deeply
influenced the Kansas people. This influence has made them hate
oppression; it has made them demand justice and fair play; it has made
them value people for their personal worth; it has made them believe
in the equality of human rights, and in the ability of the people to
govern themselves. These are characteristics of every true Kansan and
the qualities that make the Kansas spirit.
=Manifestations of the Kansas Spirit.= This spirit is evident in many
phases of the life and progress of our people, but it is nowhere more
apparent than in their political affairs and in their laws. The spirit
that made the pioneers refuse to submit to the “Bogus Legislature”
also impelled them to send more than their share of soldiers to the
Civil War. Later, the same spirit led the Kansas people to adopt the
prohibition amendment and to grant to women the full right of
suffrage. It caused the farmers and other laboring people to form
organizations for the better protection of their rights. It made the
State do its part in the World War cheerfully and generously. In
short, the Kansas spirit has manifested itself whenever the people
have made an effort to overcome difficulties, whenever they have tried
to secure more justice or liberty for themselves. These efforts have
sometimes been so radical, and the plans offered for the betterment of
conditions so new and startling as to attract much attention in the
rest of the country. But Kansas has continued to believe in the worth
and possibilities of her people and to make every effort to bring
about conditions that will give them the opportunity to rise to the
full measure of their nature.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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