Tuesday marks the 200th anniversary of Missouri becoming the 24th state of the Union. To understand the consequential role Missouri has played in the founding of our country, it helps to revisit a bit of Missouri history.
The territory of Missouri was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, in which nearly 600 million acres of the Louisiana Territories were purchased from France for $15 million. That is equivalent to roughly $350 million in today’s dollars. In May of 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began their expedition to identify a navigable waterway from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean at the direction of President Thomas Jefferson. The Lewis and Clark Expedition earned Missouri the title, “Gateway to the West."
In December of 1818 Missouri applied for statehood, but its admission into the Union was clouded in controversy. Missouri applied as a slave state and the northern states refused to allow another slave state into the Union. In response, New York’s John Tallmadge introduced legislation to force Missouri to abolish slavery prior to admission.
In 1819 when Maine applied for statehood a compromise was struck. The Missouri Compromise resulted from an agreement for Maine to be admitted as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. It also established a border between free and slave states. Why? Because, Southern states did not believe the federal government had the authority to restrict slavery in the states. While this compromise was successful, it further divided the country along slavery’s lines.
In 1854 the Missouri Compromise was repealed by passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This Act allowed Kansas and Nebraska to become members of the Union as either free or slave states under the principle of popular sovereignty. This -- even though the Kansas and Nebraska territories were north of the 36°30’ parallel established by the Missouri Compromise. The US Supreme Court decided in the 1857 Dred Scott ruling that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, and this allowed new states to apply as slave or free states. The stage was set for the coming Civil War.
Missouri also was recognized at the dawn of the 20th century as it hosted the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. This seven month-long event showcased the latest advances in technology, the arts, science and education. Exhibitors from over 50 countries and across the United States participated in the World’s Fair. It’s estimated that more than 20 million people attended the fair. Today, the most recognizable landmark commemorating the 1904 World’s Fair is the 630 ft. tall Gateway Arch.
Missouri also is home of numerous historic events and pioneers, including:
- The first free kindergarten founded by Susan Blow in the St. Louis Carondolet suburb.
- In 1927, Charles Lindbergh completed the first non-stop, trans-Atlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis.
- Sliced bread was first sold in Chillicothe in 1928.
- Though not in Missouri, the battleship USS Missouri was the site of the unconditional surrender of Japanese forces ending World War II in 1945.
- Inventors like George Washington Carver; entrepreneurs like J.C.Penney; explorers like Daniel Boone and Lewis and Clark; artists like Thomas Hart Benton, Scott Joplin and Walt Disney are a few notable people who have called Missouri home.
Missouri has such a rich history. And today, thousands of Missourians are standing up to protect Missouri’s ability to chart its own path, educate our children, protect liberty and ensure Missouri will be a leader in the 21st century and beyond. You can be a part of the effort as a Convention of States Project informed citizen activist. Take a moment Tuesday to celebrate our state’s rich past and act to preserve our future for the generations to come.
In liberty,
Brett
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