Kansas was founded on January 29, 1861. It was the 34th state to join the Union, and it joined the Union as a free state. Slave owning was not acceptable in Kansas when it joined the Union. While not disparaging other states, the pride of always having been a state where all men and women are created equal can’t be denied. Kansas joined the Union as a free state, and it fought ferociously to defend that. Including one of the first battles of the Civil War – at Black Jack Battlefield. In trying times, it is reassuring to know that Kansas’s history shows it as a freedom loving state.