There was a plan to build a university in Kansas in 1855, but it did not happen until Kansas became a state in 1861. The Kansas government needed to decide where to build the university. Their choices were Manhattan, Emporia, or Lawrence. On January 13, 1863, Kansas State University was built in Manhattan. However, the Kansas government decided to build another one. The only cities left where a university could be built were Emporia and Lawrence. Amos A. Lawrence gave $10,000 and more than 40 acres (160,000 m) of land for a university in Lawrence. The Kansas government liked that, so the government chose Lawrence. The University of Kansas opened in 1866.