Kansas History - Paper Example

Introduction

Kansas is a multinational country comprising of the Mennonites, German Russians, and the Americans. These nationalities migrated into Kansas. Mennonites had been farmers and were easy targets for persecutions because of their love for peace and policies. These immigrants settled in Kansas and even built their homes in Kansas (Miner, 2002). Kansas also had suffered from the prohibition problem whereby the citizens in Kansas had arguments about the sale of liquor and a times angry citizens particularly women marched and even destroyed liquor being sold in Kansas.

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Kansas is said to have supported the World War I because it led to the formation of the Republican Party. The support led to the demolition of the two-party system which existed previously. The Democrats no longer had powers to make decisions in Kansas. In the 1920s, Kansas referred to names like, 'The lawless decade.' During this time, the American's acted in weird and immoral ways; they drank cheap liquor, wore dirty coats, and danced to Charleston. They sinned in a lot of shameful ways. Ku Klux Klax was very famous in this era (Etcheson, 2004). The people had no intentions of improving the conditions of their lives.

After World War I, cars were manufactured. Automobiles changed their livelihood. Henry Ford was selling cars, and a lot of American's were familiar with his products, they bought the ford's automobiles. The agricultural machinery such as tractors was also improved. They were offered a quicker means of transport, and they didn't have to depend on public means (Miner, 2002). However, after sometimes a lot of accident cases were reported. The drivers used excessive speed, and a lot of people lost lives. There were no traffic rules that had been created and so drivers were not regulated. The lack of rules led to laws against over speeding being formulated. Those who broke these rules were punished in court and fined. The automobiles led to growth in infrastructure through the creation of roads and highways such as the US highway 40.

During World War 1, Jonathan M Davis, a well- educated farmer, was elected as the new governor of Kansas. He made laws on the removal of taxes on farmers. However, after some time, the government did not have enough funds to pay those who had awarded them bonuses during the World War I (Miner, 2002). During World War 1, a new Klan was formed, and it spread quickly in most parts of the United States. They organized strikes, allowed American's to worship God, limit foreign immigration, and fight for freedom of speech. Although Klan had many members, some of the people opposed this movement. It was becoming a threat to the government both politically and socially. (Etcheson, 2004).Kansas farm prices also dropped below the national average.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Kansas experienced rapid change both the good and bad. The postwar period was followed by rising and fall of its economy. Although this period was criticized with lack of thinking and desire for progress, some people were willing to embrace change.

References

Etcheson, N. (2004). Bleeding Kansas: Contested Liberty in the Civil War Era (p. 33455791). Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.

Miner, H. C. (2002). Kansas: the history of the sunflower state, 1854-2000. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.