On October 4, 1859, the people of Kansas voted to approve the Wyandotte Constitution. There were 10,421 "yes" votes and 5,530 "no" votes. The United States Congress approved the Wyandotte Constitution. Kansas became a free state on January 29, 1861. Pro-slavery people in Kansas knew they had lost. Kansas becoming a free state ended Bleeding Kansas. However, the American Civil War began around the same time.