Video: 'Kansas - 50 States - US Geography'

(Tuesday, January 29, 1861; during ) — Following the succession of six Southern states over the issue of preserving slavery, President James Buchanan signed a bill today officially admitting Kansas, located in the Midwestern United States, as a free state.

The admission of Kansas as the 34th state to join the U.S. marked the end of five years of bitter conflict over slavery in Kansas Territory, known as Bleeding Kansas.

Video: 'Bleeding Kansas Explained'