Written by a Kansas native and school teacher, Anna E. Arnold, ​​this book is a primer on Kansas history from the year of its founding to 1914. It is a deep dive into all aspects of Kansas life, from the political to the mundane; the bloodshed to the armistice. As the book was written with the intention to educate the readers, each chapter is completed with a set of questions that can guide readers into understanding more about Kansas.

Prohibition came early to Kansas in 1881, driving more than 125 breweries out of business or underground. Refusing to even vote on the 1933 national repeal, the state remained dry until 1948, with liquor by the drink finally being approved in 1987. Lawrence's Chuck Magerl worked with the legislature to pen new laws allowing something (little known at the time) called a "microbrewery." Chuck started the state's first brewery in over a century, appropriately named Free State Brewing Company. John Dean of Topeka's Blind Tiger Brewery counts more awards than any other brewer in the state, including Champion Brewer at the World Beer Cup in 2014. Props & Hops Brewing, in tiny Sylvan Grove, is owned and operated by an enterprising pilot who also owns and operates a crop-dusting business on the weekdays. Author Bob Crutchfield explores the state's breweries and recounts the Sunflower State's hoppy history.

History of Kansas newspapers

No state's creation was more dramatic, more at the center of national attention, more involved in fundamental moral conflict, than that of Kansas. In a sense, the state's history began with the arrival of the first Puritans of New England and the first slaves of Virginia. The States And The Nation Series, of which this volume is a part, is designed to assist the American people in a serious look at the ideals they have espoused and the experiences they have undergone in the history of the nation.

Series statement from publisher's website.