A state of the central United States. It was admitted as the 34th state in 1861. Organized as a territory by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, it became a virtual battleground, known as Bleeding Kansas, for free and slave factions (1854-1859). Kansas was finally admitted as a free state. Topeka is the capital and Wichita the largest city. Population: 2,780,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
