Missouri, located in the Midwest of the United States is the twenty-fourth state of America, joining the Union on August 10, 1821. It is the twenty-first largest state in the U.S. and the sixteenth most populous. The state is comprised of 114 counties and one independent city. The state capital is Jefferson City and the largest cities are Kansas City and St Louis. Missouri is bordered by the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The state’s major rivers are the Mississippi River, Missouri River and the Osage River. Its major lakes are the Table Rock Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, Clearwater Lake and Lake Wappapello. Missouri is also the presidential birthplace of Harry S. Truman who served as U.S. President from 1945-1953. The state was originally acquired from France as part of the “Louisiana Purchase”, this land became known as the “Missouri Territory”.
Missouri was named for an Algonquian Indian word that means ‘River of the Big Canoes’. The state nickname ‘The Show Me State’ was a name attributed to Representative Willard Van Diver. It connotes a certain self-deprecating stubbornness and devotion to simple common sense. Missouri is also considered a “bellwether state” a microcosm of the greater American society and demographic. The state bird is the Bluebird and the state flower is the White Hawthorn. The official flag of Missouri has a red, white and blue background, representing the state’s French heritage prior to Louisiana Purchase. In the center is a circle picturing two grizzly bears to connote bravery and strength. Above the bears heads are twenty-four stars and a knights helmet. Below the bears is a ribbon with the state motto, ‘SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX ESTA’, meaning, ‘Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law’. The motto ‘United we stand, divided we fall’ is written around the inner circle. Surrounding the outer circle is a blue circular strip containing 24 white stars, symbolizing Missouri as the twenty-fourth state to join the Union.
The first Europeans to Missouri were the French-Canadians, arriving in 1750. One of their primary reasons more relocating to Missouri was because the soils were becoming exhausted and there wasn't enough river bottomland in the colonial villages of Mississippi where they had formerly lived. The first settlements to be established were Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis. In fact, St. Louis became the center of regional fur trade, which actually dominated its economy for decades. Ste. Genevieve, on the other hand, was thriving in the agriculture center, producing enough surplus wheat, tobacco and corn to ship to lots of its grain down to Lower Louisiana for trade.
In 1821, Missouri was admitted as a slave state, as part of the Missouri Compromise. This was quite beneficial for the early American settlers in Missouri who migrated from the Upper South as they brought enslaved African-American's with them. These settlers desired to continue their culture and the institution of a slaver in their new region. They settled in an area of flatlands that enable plantation agriculture. The majority of farmers who had slaves had less than five each. In 1860 enslaved African Americans made up less than 10% of the state's population of 1,182,012.
The St. Louis Massacre occurred in 1861. Pro-Southern Governor Claiborne F. Jackson ordered several hundred state soldiers to gather in St. Louis for training. The Union General Nathaniel Lyon was alarmed by this action so he sent his troops to attack first. His troops had little mercy and killed nearly everyone and everything that came their way. The opened fire on civilians, unarmed prisoners, women and children. This earned Missouri the Confederate support. Governor Jackson appointed Sterling Price as the head of the new Missouri State Guard. However, this new government did not last long as Price and Jackson were forced out of the capital, Jefferson City due to General Lyons rapid approach. With Price and Jackson gone, Union forces inaugurated an unelected pro-Union provisional government with Hamilton Gamble as provisional governor. This new government was immediately recognised by President Lincoln as the new government of Missouri.
The major industries in Missouri involve the farming of corn and soybeans, mining zinc, and lead, aircraft equipment, cars and beer. Its other primary agriculture products are beef, pork, hay, poultry, rice, eggs, cotton, sorghum and dairy products. Missouri is ranked in the top five states in the nation for production of soybeans. It is also ranked sixth in the nation for the production of hogs and seventh for cattle.
Missouri experiences a humid continental climate with hot and humid summers, and cold winters. The temperature in Missouri is influenced by air from the cold Arctic and the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico; hence it often experiences extremes in temperatures.
Missouri is home to 5.9 million Americans. Over half of Missourians live in Kansas City and St. Louis. There are many religions in the region. The most common are Christian, Protestant and Roman Catholic.
Missouri is greatly attractive for those tourists who love and enjoy walks in the woods. It boasts hundreds of conservation and natural areas, state parks and Mark Twain National Forest lands. The top rated tourist destinations are Arabia Steamboat Museum, Ozarks State Park, Dorothy's House, Augusta Plein Air Art Event, Missouri State Penitentiary and Carnahan Memorial Garden.
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