“In Kansas, the question is never raised of man, is he a Democrat? Is he a Republican? The questions there raised are, is he a Free State man? or is he a proslavery man?” (John Brown)
I am honored to call Kansas my home! Those early pioneers of the prairie believed in the freedom of every man. And as they started their journey towards statehood they chose Freedom. That choice would be the impetus of a struggle that this country began 150 years ago.
I realize that many believe that it was the shots fired on Fort Sumter, but I know that long before those shots were fired, blood was shed on the prairie of Kansas for the right to be Free.
Yes, on April 12, 1861 the first shots rang out and the Civil war began. That war took the lives of more Americans than both World Wars combined. The cost of that war was not only unparalleled at that time but through out the last 150 years many others have paid a huge price for the right to be “Free.”
The choice that Kansas made, the choice that this country made, the lives that were given should be remembered and not forgotten. Remember that the cause was worthy of such great sacrifice. We must remember, lest we forget and lose what was gained.
History today reminds us that the price of Freedom is high, but the alternative is out of the question. You and I live as “Free men and women” today because others fought and gave their lives.
The question in these lands should always be, Is he a Free State man?
