Explore America and discover people, places, art, and history that connect to Kansas in the Smithsonian’s collections, held in trust for the American people. Kansas has witnessed landmark moments that have shaped the nation. The 1854 Kansas–Nebraska Act opened the territory for settlement, sparking violent clashes between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in a period known as Bleeding Kansas. This unrest foreshadowed the American Civil War. A century later, the 1954 class-action lawsuit Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka played a pivotal role in ending racial segregation in schools.
The Free State has been home to many notable people, including aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and Kansas’ first female senator, Nancy Kassebaum. Bob Dole was born and raised in Russel, Kansas, and represented the state from 1969 to 1996 in the U.S. Senate. Dwight D. Eisenhower considered Abilene his hometown. Eisenhower masterminded the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, and directed Allied operations in Europe until the surrender of Germany in May 1945. Enormously popular with the American public after the war, Eisenhower was elected to the presidency in 1952 and served two terms.
The state's cultural contributions are also notable. Artifacts from The Wizard of Oz are preserved at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Hattie McDaniel made history as the first African American to win and be nominated for an Academy Award, while Gwendolyn Brooks, born in Topeka, became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize.
