Missouri’s official history as a state began to take shape in the early 1800s, but the true history dates back further than history books. This diverse geographic area, with plains to the north and mountains to the south, dotted with thousands of caves, and surrounded by the biggest and longest rivers in America, is truly a treasure. The area was home to Native American tribes for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. Archaeological records show humans living in the Arcadia Valley region up to 14,000 years ago, which is around the time of the last ice age. Other prominent civilizations appeared as early as 1500 AD when the Mississippian culture was established. These early ancestors became known as the Mound Builders because of the gigantic earthen mounds they left behind, many of which still dot the landscape around the state today.
The name Missouri is actually a Sioux Indian word that is translated as “big canoe people.” That word came from the Missouria tribe, which inhabited much of what is now northwest Missouri. The Missouria was one of seven primary tribes that existed in Missouri, along with the Illini, Ioway, Otoe, Osage, Quapaw, and Chickasaw. Most of the Native Americans who lived in the Missouri territory were driven from the state during the Indian removal period in the 1800s, culminating in the Trail of Tears that cut directly across the state as the Cherokee Indians and fellow tribes were pushed westward.
French explorers reached Missouri in the late 1600s. In 1673, the name Missouri was adopted for the territory when explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet drew up early maps of the territory. The land was claimed for France by explorer Robert de La Salle in 1682. Around 1735, the first permanent settlement in Missouri was established at Sainte Genevieve, along the Mississippi River. A fur trading post was established further upstream when Pierre Laclede founded St. Louis in 1764. Five years later, St. Charles was established upstream along the Missouri River as a trading post by Louis Blanchette.
The territory of Missouri traded hands between France and Spain but was back in French possession in early 1803 when France sold the land to the United States as a part of the Louisiana Purchase. Scattered settlements and villages now dotted the landscape, yet the area was still a wild frontier for people migrating west looking for fortune, freedom, land, or just a better life. The territory was truly the Gateway to the West because once settlers arrived in Missouri and jumped onto the Santa Fe or Oregon Trails, there was very little civilization to be found and practically nowhere to get supplies for the rest of the trip to the West Coast.
Missouri was also the first area mapped when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to explore the uncharted territories that the United States had acquired with the Louisiana Purchase. They began their trek on May 14, 1804, in Wood River, Illinois, and traveled up the Missouri River looking for a northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. Although they never found that passage, their journals and maps transformed our understanding of the American West when they returned to St. Louis in 1806 to describe what they had found on their journey.
Missouri remained a part of the Louisiana Territory until June 4, 1812, when the Missouri Territory was established by Congress. The next nine years were vitally important as the future of the state came into focus with the lead up to statehood and the drafting of the Missouri Compromise. Representatives from the Missouri Territory first petitioned Congress about becoming a state, but they were met with a strong rebuke.
Missouri wanted to join the Union as a slave state, which would disrupt the balance of power by giving southern states more representation in Washington, D.C., than their northern counterparts. Northern legislators immediately came up with a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit slavery in territories that were part of the Louisiana Purchase. That’s when statesman Henry Clay used his persuasive powers and came up with the Missouri Compromise, which seemed to satisfy all parties.
The main tenet of the Missouri Compromise was to keep the balance of power by admitting Maine as a free state while allowing Missouri to enter as a slave state. Clay’s plan satisfied the leaders of the twenty-two existing states and paved the way for Missouri statehood. Much like the rest of the nation, though, the allegiances in Missouri were mixed. Many Missourians were vehemently opposed to slavery, while others had Confederate sensibilities.
Tensions in areas surrounding Missouri continued to rise as other territories that comprised the Louisiana Purchase were barred from allowing slavery, while Missouri was free to adopt a constitution that permitted it. This early conflict over slavery and states’ rights defined Missouri’s early years and set the stage for a period in United States history that nearly ended the country as we know it. Missouri was admitted to the Union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821.
Missouri was a border state during the Civil War, with divided loyalties between the Union and the Confederacy. The state experienced significant violence and turmoil during this period, including the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, the Battle of Pea Ridge, and the Battle of Westport. After the Civil War, Missouri underwent a period of reconstruction and industrialization. Cities like St. Louis and Kansas City became major industrial centers, with thriving economies driven by manufacturing and trade.
Missouri continued to grow and develop throughout the 20th century, experiencing periods of economic prosperity as well as challenges such as the Great Depression and suburbanization. St. Louis hosted the 1904 World’s Fair and has been a hub for cultural and economic activity in the region.
Today, Missouri is known for its diverse economy, rich cultural heritage, and contributions to American history. It remains an important state in the Midwest region of the United States.
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