U.S. #4493
2011 44¢ Kansas Statehood
Issue Date: January 27, 2011
City: Topeka, KS
Printed By: Ashton Potter
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint "USPS"
Color: Multicolored
Kansas has been called “The Central State” because the geographic center of the Continental United States is located within its borders. The nickname could also be seen as a reflection of Kansas’ turbulent path to statehood and the role it played in the American Civil War.
While the Santa Fe Trail brought hundreds of wagons through the region during the early 1800s, few stayed in the area until it was officially opened to settlement in 1854. That same year, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed settlers in the territory to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery.
Because their decision would upset the balance between the anti-slavery North and pro-slavery South, hundreds of passionate activists on both sides of the issue poured into Kansas to influence the vote.
Violence soon erupted, leading to another nickname, “Bleeding Kansas.” However, abolitionists prevailed and Kansas joined the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861.
After the war, Kansas grew to become one of the country’s leading agricultural centers, with plenty of fertile soil, moderate weather, and open fields for livestock. This stamp commemorates the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood.
