Kansas

 

Kansas!!! |ˈkanzəs|
Find the following information...
State Capitol: _______________________________
Population: _________________________________
When did it become a state? ___________________

Go to this state’s website and find three more facts about the state.
http://www.travelks.com/

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2) _____________________________________________________________
3)______________________________________________________________
What is the state’s motto? ______________________________________________________
 
Kansas became a state at a pivotal time in American history. Through a few years of conflict, Kansas eventually became known as a free state. This meant that the abolitionists had taken control of the state and declared slavery to be illegal. Kansas' neighbors to the east, in Missouri, decided not to ban slavery. In leading up to Kansas becoming a state, there were many wars on the Kansas-Missouri border. These years (1854-1861) were known as Bleeding Kansas.

As mentioned, Missouri is to the east. Nebraska is to the north, Colorado is to the west, and Oklahoma is to the south. These are the only four states that border Kansas. Sixty-six percent of Kansas is made up of flat prairie land. The eastern half of Kansas, however, consists of many hills and forests.

I'm from Kansas and I feel as though not many Americans outside of Kansas think much about my home state. Yes, we have culture. Yes, we have civilization and polite demeanor. We are hard workers when we need to be, and we know how to relax when the time is right. I must admit that it's not always easy coming from Kansas. Lately, many poor decisions have been made from within the state governor's office. These bad decisions have made rich people richer and kept poorer people poor. 

Despite this, we must go on. We must keep working, and don't get me wrong, we still enjoy ourselves! Kansas is a beautiful place. Imagine a massive, flat stretch of sunflower field that seems to go off into the vast open sky. Large fields of sunflowers, the state flower, can be seen in Kansas. We also have beautiful falls where the leaves turn all sorts of colors. Once the winter melts away, we also have beautiful crocuses and lilacs that bring in the spring.



If you are more into city life, we have that, too. Topeka, the capitol, is mostly just good for checking out the governmental buildings or one of the city parks. Lawrence, 30 miles east of Topeka, is a college town home to the University of Kansas. Lots of research is conducted here. If you go another 30 miles east, you will find yourself in Kansas City, Kansas (KCK). One of the best things you can do in KCK is cheer on Sporting KC, our great Major League Soccer team.

1. Kansas ________.
a) allowed slavery
b) fought to keep slavery
c) decided against slavery

2. 1/3 of Kansas is made of ______.
a) forests and hills
b) hills
c) prairie land

3. Kansas City Kansas is ________. 
a) 60 miles east of Topeka
b) 60 miles west of Topeka
c) 30 miles west of Lawrence

Find a famous person from this state and answer the following questions. The number of sentences you should have for each answer is in parenthesis. Use paragraph form. 

Tell us the person’s name, the city in which they were born, and when they were born. (3)  
What did this famous person do? (3)
Would you like to meet this person? Why or why not? (3)
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