Kansas

Kansas, derived from the Siouan word Kansa meaning "People of the south wind," is a Midwestern state in the United States. The U.S. postal abbreviation for the state is KS.

Law and government

• Amphibian: Barred Tiger Salamander
• Animal: American Buffalo
• Bird: Western Meadowlark
• Flower: Sunflower
• Insect: Honeybee
• Motto: Ad astra per aspera, or "To the stars through difficulties"
• Reptile: Ornate Box Turtle
• Soil: Harney silt loam
• Song: "Home on the Range"
• Tree: Cottonwood

}}

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The state capital is Topeka.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The top executives of the state are Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Lieutenant Governor John E. Moore. Both are elected on the same ticket to a maximum of two consecutive 4-year terms. Their current term will end in January of 2007, and they are able to run for re-election in 2006.

Related Topics:
Governor - Kathleen Sebelius - John E. Moore - 2007 - 2006

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The state's current delegation to the Congress of the United States includes Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts and Representatives Jerry Moran (District 1), Jim Ryun (District 2), Dennis Moore (District 3), and Todd Tiahrt (District 4). Moore is the only Democrat in the delegation; all others are Republicans.

Related Topics:
Congress of the United States - Sam Brownback - Pat Roberts - Jerry Moran - District 1 - Jim Ryun - District 2 - Dennis Moore - District 3 - Todd Tiahrt - District 4

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kansas had a reputation as a progressive state with many firsts in legislative initiatives?it was the first state to institute a system of workers compensation (1910). Kansas was also one of the first states to permit women's suffrage in 1912. Suffrage in all states would not be guaranteed until ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. The council-manager government was adopted by many larger Kansas cities in the years following World War I while many American cities were being run by political machines or organized crime. Kansas schools both public and private continue to have some of the highest standards in the nation. Kansas was first among the states to ban the concept of separate but equal schools. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka banned racially segregated schools throughout the U.S.

Related Topics:
Workers compensation - Women's suffrage - 1912 - 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - 1920 - Council-manager government - World War I - Political machine - Organized crime - Separate but equal - Brown v. Board of Education - Topeka

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Since the 1960s, Kansas has grown more socially conservative. The 1990s brought new restrictions on abortion, the defeat of prominent Democrats, including Dan Glickman, and the Kansas State Board of Education's infamous 1999 decision to eliminate the theory of evolution from the state teaching standards, a decision that was later reversed. In 2005, voters accepted a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, and the Kansas State Board of Education resumed hearings to determine if evolution should once again be removed from state science standards.

Related Topics:
1960s - Abortion - Dan Glickman - Kansas State Board of Education's - 1999 - Theory of evolution - 2005 - Same-sex marriage

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kansas has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. In 2004, George W. Bush won the state's 6 electoral votes by an overwhelming margin of 25 percentage points with 62% of the vote. The only two counties to support Democrat John Kerry were those containing the city of Kansas City and the college town of Lawrence.

Related Topics:
Democratic - 1964 - 2004 - George W. Bush - John Kerry - Kansas City - Lawrence

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

See also:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

List of Governors of Kansas; U.S. Congressional Delegations from Kansas

Related Topics:
List of Governors of Kansas - U.S. Congressional Delegations from Kansas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~