National History Day in Missouri 2007
"Triumph and Tragedy in History"
Possible Missouri Topics

In May of 1980, court-ordered desegregation began in Missouri, attempting to alleviate the racial isolation of black students. The court determined that the State of Missouri was required to pay half of the cost of school desegregation plans; numerous legal issues arose.

• St. Louis Court Desegregation Cases, Records 1972-1986. (WHMC-SL684)
  Consists of 3 Boxes with 35 folders. This collection documents St. Louis' Desegregation Court Cases, including Craton Liddell v. Board of Education City of St. Louis, from 1972-1985. This case resulted in dramatic changes in public education. It was Liddell v. Board of Education of St. Louis in 1972 that brought integrated education to hundreds of thousands of St. Louis' school children. Although this program proved successful in sending more African-American children to college and helped build bridges across racial divides, there have also been many problems.
• Radford, Edward Luckey, "Implementing Court Ordered Desegregation for the Ferguson Reorganized School District R2: A Case Study," 1979. (WHMC-SL186)
  Consists of 627 pages of an unpublished PhD dissertation, Graduate School of St. Louis University. Pertains to subjects subjects such as African American history, civil rights, desegregation, education.
• Moran, Peter William. Race, Law, and the Desegregation of Public Schools.
  New York: LFB Scholarly Pub., 2005.

In the 1930s, the University of Missouri accepted only white students, while Lincoln University was supposed to provide equal education for African-American students. To test the discrimination laws, Lloyd Gaines sued for admission to the School of Law and Lucile Bluford to the Journalism School, two fields that were not available at Lincoln. They were told that their tuition and fees would be paid to attend a college in a neighboring state that accepted African-American students. The Gaines case went to the US Supreme Court, which reversed the Missouri decision, saying that it was the responsibility of the state to provide whites and blacks with an equal education within the state, though it could still be in separate institutions.

• Lloyd Gaines Case, 1938-1940. University Archives (UW:1/7/2). This collection contains a copy of the Supreme Court decision in the case of Lloyd Gaines vs. Canada, University of Missouri.
• University of Missouri, Admission of Blacks, 1952-1954 (WHMC-C 977).
  Correspondence concerning the applications of blacks for admission to the University during the years of transition from a segregated to an integrated institution.
• University of Missouri, Graduate School, Records, 1911-1967 (WHMC-C 3354).
  Contains subpoena for Bluford's court case.
• Washington Press Club Foundation, Women in Journalism Oral History Project, Records, 1987-1994 (WHMC-C3958).
  Contains an Oral History transcription of an interview with Lucile Bluford.
• Kelleher, Daniel T. "The Case of Lloyd Lionel Gaines: The Demise of the Separate but Equal Doctrine." The Journal of Negro History, 56, (4) October 1971: 262-271.

James Milton Turner was born a slave in St. Louis County. He became Missouri's most prominent African American leader after the Civil War, promoting black education. He also served as U.S. Minister to Liberia.

• Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, Letters Received, Registered Vol. 2, 1867-1869 E-W. (Record Group 105). National Archives, Washington, D.C.
  Contains letters of correspondents with J. Milton Turner concerning schools for blacks in Missouri.
  Christensen, Lawrence O. "Schools for Blacks: J. Milton Turner in Reconstruction Missouri". Missouri Historical Review. State Historical Society of Missouri Vol. 76 (121-135).
  Kremer, Gary R. James Milton Turner and the Promise of America: The Public Life of a Post Civil War Black Leader. University of Missouri Press, 1991.

In 1865, members of the 62nd Regiment of U.S. Colored Infantry, almost all of who were from Missouri, contributed $5000 to establish an African-American coeducational school in the state. Members of the 65th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Infantry, also of Missouri, later contributed $1379. On June 25, 1866, Lincoln Institute at Jefferson City was incorporated and preparatory classes began September 17, 1866, in a one-room building with two students attending. The school was accredited as a teachers training institution in 1926, and as a four-year college of arts and science in 1934. After the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954, Lincoln University opened its doors to all applicants who met its entrance criteria.

• Lax, Moses. Service Record, 1866. (WHMC-R23)
  Service record of the 62nd Regiment and information on their contribution to the Lincoln school.
• Savage, W. Sherman. The History of Lincoln University. Jefferson City, MO: The University, 1996.
• Hudson, Gossie Harold. The History of Lincoln University. Jefferson City, MO: Lincoln University, 1976.

Dred Scott was a slave from Missouri who had moved with his master to the free state of Illinois for an extended period of time before moving back to Missouri. Scott came in contact with abolitionist lawyers who helped him sue for his freedom because he had lived in a free state for so long. Even though Scott did not win his freedom through the courts, he did help bring the issue of slavery to national attention. This, in turn, possibly sped up the course of events that led to the Civil War. The Dred Scott case was important because it brought the issues of Slavery center stage. Even though his particular case could be viewed as a failure, the verdict energized the abolition movement.

The children of Marie Jean Scypion, an Afro-Indian, filed suit for Marie's freedom based on the grounds that their maternal grandmother was an Indian and since Indian slavery was abolished in the Missouri Territory by the Spanish in 1769, and slavery was traced through the maternal line, her descendants should be free. The decision in the case was the foundation of the passage of a U.S. law abolishing Indian slavery.

In 1841, abolitionist George Thompson was sentenced to twelve years at the Missouri State Penitentiary for "slave abduction." He and two other abolitionists crossed the Mississippi River into Marion County, Missouri from Quincy, Illinois, with the intent of helping slaves escape to Canada. After serving four years at the penitentiary, Thompson asked and was granted a pardon on June 24, 1846.

Theodore D. McNeal was a politician, labor organizer, and civil rights advocate. He began his career in when segregation and racism were a major part of society in Missouri. Theodore D. McNeal had the distinction of being the first African American elected to the Missouri Senate. He also served as the first black member on the University Of Missouri Board Of Curators, and was the first black president of the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners.

• McNeal, Theodore D. (1906-1982), Scrapbook, 1941-1943 (WHMC-SL321)
  Scrapbooks document McNeal's activities as president of the St. Louis branch of the March on Washington Movement (MOWM), 1942-1944.
• Oral History Interview with Theodore McNeal (WHMC-SLT-024)
  Contains an interview with Theodore McNeal as part of the Black Community Leaders Project, July 22, 1970. Consists of material covering McNeal's life, political career, and his active participation in civil rights.
• Grant, Louise Elizabeth, "The Saint Louis Unit of The March On Washington Movement: A Study in Sociology of Conflict," 1944 (WHMC-SL170)
  Consists of various subjects, one of which is Theodore McNeal and his involvement in the civil rights movement.
• Calloway, Ernest (1909-1989), Papers, 1937-1983 (WHMC-SL11)
  Located in Box 2 folder 21 pertaining to Theodore D. McNeal's Senatorial Campaign in 1960.

This Confederate victory occurred on August 10, 1861. The Battle of Wilson's Creek took place at Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Missouri. The fierce fighting led to the death of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon and marked a striking comeback for Maj. Gen. Sterling Price. This Confederate victory buoyed southern sympathizers in Missouri and served as a springboard for a bold thrust north that carried Price and his Missouri State Guard as far as Lexington.

Confederate Major General Sterling Price had served in the Mexican War, the United States Congress, and as governor of Missouri. He accepted the command of the State Guard when the Civil War began. Although he had many earlier accomplishments in his life, his confederate forces were ultimately defeated. General Price's military decline began with the loss of various battles such the Raid of Pilot Knob, in which he unsuccessfully attempted to capture Fort Davidson, and he also lost the battle at Westport, and then yet again met defeat at the battle in Mine Creek, Kansas. Sterling Price's depleted army went into Mexico instead of surrendering but later returned to Missouri. General Price died in St. Louis, Missouri, September 29, 1867.

• Price, Sterling (1809-1867), Papers, 1861-1866, (WHMC-C0483)
  Consists of two folders with contents of the proclamation assuring southern sympathizers in Missouri of General Price's protection. Also includes a letter from Price to his son Edwin discussing raids made on the outskirts of the colonies and comments on the Mexican government.
• Price, Sterling (1809-1867), Proclamation, [1861], (WHMC-C1748)
  One folder containing a proclamation to the people of central and north Missouri. General Price pleads for the enlistment of 50,000 men to defend the southern cause; also requests blankets, clothing, and guns.
• Hoskin, William N. (1841- ), Civil War Diary, 1862-1865, (WHMC-C1121)
  Diary of a Confederate soldier from Palmyra, MO, who served under Sterling Price and fought in battles in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Hoskin's diary describes these battles and the mundane routine of military life. Includes both original and typescript of diary.
• Shalhope, Robert E. Sterling Price: Portrait of a Southerner. Columbia, MO.: University of Missouri Press, 1971.
• Suderow, Bryce A. Thunder in Arcadia Valley: Price's Defeat, September 27, 1864. Cape Girardeau, Mo.: Center for Regional History and Cultural Heritage, Southeast Missouri State University, 1986.

Missourians found themselves in a violent state as guerrillas terrorized the countryside. Along the border between Missouri and Kansas irregular troops on both sides fought a bloody and bitter guerrilla campaign against each other before and during the Civil War. After Missouri's occupation by regular Union forces, Confederate guerrillas known as "Bushwhackers" carried on a campaign of ambushes, raids and assassinations against Federal troops and Union supporters. It was impossible to tell friend from foe during these turbulent times.

Women played a significant role in the Civil War. There were many opportunities for women to branch away from their domestic roles and contribute to the war effort. Some of these opportunities included writers, spies, and nurses.

• Scott, Elvira Ascenith Weir (1821-1867) Diary, 1860-1867 (WHMC-C1053)
  Diary written during the Civil War describes activities of a Southern sympathizer in Missouri.
• King, Eleanor Ann (1839-1884), Papers, 1856-1898 (WHMC-C1862)
  Letters written by friends and relatives to Eleanor Ann King of St. Charles County, Missouri, after she was arrested as a Confederate spy and imprisoned in the female prison at St. Louis. Also contains photographs of Eleanor, her first and second husbands J.M. King and William P. Ferrell and her children.
• United Daughter of the Confederacy, John S. Marmaduke Chapter, Scrapbook, 1935-1936 (WHMC-C1431)
  Newspaper clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous articles regarding the Civil War in Missouri, Robert E. Lee, and Confederate veterans.
• Massey, Mary Elizabeth. Women in the Civil War. University of Nebraska Press, 1994.

The Palmyra Massacre occurred on October 18, 1862 in Palmyra, Missouri. Ten Confederate prisoners that were being held for minor offenses were shot by order of Union Colonel John McNeil. These prisoners were shot in retaliation when Confederate Colonel John C. Porter did not return a captured pro-Union civilian. This brutal act was called the "Darkest Crime of the Civil War" by President Lincoln.

The Battle of Lexington or the Battle of the Hemp Bales occurred on September 13-20, 1861 in Lafayette County, Missouri. Following the victory at Wilson's Creek, the Confederate Missouri State Guard marched under the command of General Sterling Price on Lexington. Colonel James A. Mulligan commanded the Union troops that included 3500 men. Price's men first encountered the Union troops on September 13 and pushed them back into the fortifications. On September 18, Price ordered an assault on the Union troops. Early on the morning of September 20, Price's troops advanced behind mobile breastworks made of hemp. On September 20, the Union troops surrendered and allowed for a Confederate victory.

In June of 1863, Union General Thomas Ewing was appointed to oversee the border counties in the Kansas City, Missouri area. On August 25, 1863, in response to Quantrill's August raid on Lawrence, Kansas, General Ewing issued Order No. 11 to restore order to the area. This Order required the immediate evacuation of all residents of Jackson, Cass, Bates, and Vernon counties who could not prove their loyalty to the Union cause (except those residing within a mile of a military post). Twenty thousand residents were forced to evacuate. George Caleb Bingham, Union officer and later prominent artist and politician, was outraged, and in 1868 immortalized the incident in two paintings entitled, "Martial Law or Order No. 11."

• Reese, A.W. Personal Recollections of the Late Civil War in the United States, 1870 (WHMCC3627)
  Recollections of a surgeon who served under Sherman in Georgia. Describes army life, battles, impressions of the South, and the war in Missouri.
• Scott, Elvira Ascenith Weir, Diary, 1860-1887 (WHMC-C1053)
  Diary of a Miami, MO, woman including descriptive observations on the themes of home, family, and religion, as well as the impact of the Civil War on life in her own community and region.
• Eakin, Joanne. Tears and Turmoil: Order #11. Independence, MO: J. C. Eakin, 1996.
• Goodrich, Thomas. Black Flag: Guerilla Warfare on the Western Border, 1861-1865. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995.

The cholera epidemic of 1849 was the most serious outbreak of cholera in the United States. In St. Louis, over 4000 individuals perished from the communicable disease caused by poor sanitary conditions. This epidemic pushed cities in Missouri to install sewer systems and provide clean drinking water.

• Vanarsdale, Susan D. (1824-1856), Diary, 1847-1855 (WHMC-C1283)
  Written in Mexico, Missouri, and various locations in Illinois and Indiana, about family and personal affairs, local people, religious activities and her own writing efforts.
• McClear, Patrick E. "The St. Louis Cholera Epidemic." Missouri Historical Review VLXII (January 1969): 171-181.

The St. Louis Cyclone was an historic tornado that occurred on May 27, 1896. It is among the first tornadoes that has actual damage photographs. It is one of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history. The tornado ripped through the core of the city leaving a mile wide continuous swath of destroyed homes, schools, saloons, factories, mills, churches, parks, and railroad yards. The confirmed death toll is 255, with some estimates above 400. More than 1,000 were injured. The tornado was later rated F4 on the Fujita scale. Adjusted for inflation it is the costliest tornado in U.S. history at an estimated $2.9 billion.

• St. Louis Tornado of 1896 (WHMC-SL307)
  Consists of 3 souvenir booklets. The Great Tornado, 1896, illustrated, 48 pages; The Great Cyclone, 1896, illustrated, 48 pages; Pictured Story of the Tornado, 1896, illustrated, 48 pages.
• Tornado Scenes in St. Louis. Chicago: New York: Rand, McNally & CO. 1896
• Curzon, Julian. The Great Cyclone at St. Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1896, 1997.

Times Beach, Missouri was a small town of 2,240 residents in St. Louis County, Missouri. The town was completely evacuated in the mid-1980s due to a dioxin scare that made national headlines. It was the largest civilian exposure to dioxin in the United States. Years after its cleanup, the Times Beach area was transformed in to Route 66 State Park.

• Ahmed, Safir. "Dioxin Cleanup Begins Incinerator Plan For Times Beach Clears Big Hurdle". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 6 January 1991.
• Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Reclaiming Times Beach. Jefferson City, MO: The Department of Natural Resources, 1994.
• Domjan, Laszlo K. "Dioxin Contaminated Times Beach, Then Wiped it Off the Map - After Buyouts and Cleanup, Area is Now a State Park". St. Louis Post- Dispatch. 14 December 2003.

In 1942, the American forces were being completely overwhelmed at Bataan and Corregidor, MacArthur was ordered to evacuate and he was directed to lead the war against Japan from Australia. American and Filipino troops left behind surrendered at Bataan in April and at Corregidor in May. The Japanese forced the prisoners of war on an infamous Death March across treacherous terrain to a prison camp near Cabunatuan. Thousands of American and Filipino soldiers died of malnutrition, illness, and torture.

During 1942-1946 people of Japanese descent, known as Japanese-Americans were denied their freedoms and rights after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941. All individuals of Japanese ancestry were considered potential enemies of the United States. As a result of government Order 9066 over 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forced into relocation camps. The following collections contain materials on proposed relocation camps in Missouri.

Harry S Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884, and grew up in Independence Missouri. As president he made some very important decisions, including the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese in August 1945. Although using the bombs ended WWII and presumably saved many American lives, an extraordinary number of Japanese civilians were killed in a horrific manner.

In the allied campaign of Europe, American soldiers were taken prisoner by the Germans. Some of these American POWs were able to escape from German control.

Racial discrimination against African Americans made it difficult to compete in sporting events. Negro leagues were established in cities across the country so blacks could compete separately from whites. In Missouri, a league was established in 1920 in Kansas City and created an opportunity for African Americans to participate in baseball. The Kansas City Monarchs achieved much success and produced more major league players than any other minor league team. Over time, as integration became more accepted, these leagues disappeared, but their importance in history remained.

• Oral History Collection (WHMC-KC047)
  The collection consists of 25 interviews with 18 individuals who played or were associated with the Kansas City Monarchs.
• Oral History (WHMC-SL067)
  An oral interview with William Drake, a former Kansas City Monarch player, concerning his time in the Negro Baseball league, baseball career, and his experiences in that time period
• Bell, C. Jasper (1885-1978), Papers, 1934-1948, (WHMC-C2306)
  Correspondence and other papers of a Missouri Democratic congressman. Includes a 1943 full length newspaper ad/petition to save Negro baseball. Kansas City Monarchs.
• Heaphy, Leslie A. The Negro Leagues: 1869-1960. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Publishers, Inc., 2003.
• Bruce, Janet. The Kansas City Monarchs: Champions of Black Baseball. Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas, 1985.

Josephine Baker was an African American born and raised in the Saint Louis area. In 1925 she went to Paris with the Revue Negre. Soon she starred in the Folies Bergere and became one of France's best-loved entertainers. During WWII, she was a hero of the resistance, earning the Legion of Honor. Josephine Baker lived in times that racially segregated African Americans in the United States. A French citizen, Baker was a civil rights activist in the U.S. and refused to perform in clubs which were segregated.

• Baker, Josephine and Jo Bouillon. Josephine. New York: Harper & Row, 1977.
  Autobiography of Josephine Baker.
• UM-St. Louis Black History Project (1980-1983) (WHMC-SL201)
  During its first year, the Black History Project surveyed over 90 organizations and individuals and contacted 350 potential donors, establishing collection priorities that reflected the wide range of black experiences in St. Louis history. Many of the folders provide quick reference for biographical information on important individuals in local black history, such as Josephine Baker.
• UM-St. Louis Black History Project, 1980-1983, Photograph Collection 1895-1983 (WHMC-SL336)
  The photographs in this collection are in addition to those in collection 201. These photographs were collected as part of the original project, including photographs of Josephine Baker.
• McMillen, Margot Ford, and Heather Robinson. Into the Spotlight: Four Missouri Women. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2004.

When John William Boone was six months old he developed "brain fever," and to relieve the pressure, doctors removed his eyes. Boone grew up in Warrensburg, Missouri, and displayed an early talent for music. Once while playing in a church, he attracted the attention of John Lange, a black contractor in Columbia. Lange was to become the initial underwriter and the manger of the Blind Boone Company. By 1885 the Blind Boone Company was regularly booked and playing in both the large cities and small towns in the Midwest, with enthusiastic reviews from everyone. Wealth and fame was lavished on Blind Boone. By the 1920s Boone's career was declining with the coming of the jazz age, and in 1927 Boone died of a stroke.

• Boone, John William "Blind" and Wesley, Papers, (WHMC-C2883)
  Consists of one folder. Publicity poster announcing the appearance of Blind Boone in Columbia, MO. Program of piano concert of Little Blind Wesley, nephew of Blind Boone.
• Blind Boone Memorial Foundation, Inc., Papers, 1886-1976 (WHMC-C3664)
  Included in this collection are some of the compositions of John William "Blind" Boone. Also included are orchestrations and choral arrangements of Boone's music, correspondence, programs, and posters from a memorial concert in 1961. Correspondences concerning recovery of Boone's piano, and posters and tickets from some of Boone's concerts are also part of the collection.
• Harrah, Madge. Blind Boone: Piano Prodigy. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Group, 2004.
• Batterson, Jack A. Blind Boone: Missouri's Ragtime Pioneer. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1998.

George Washington Carver was born in 1864 near Diamond Grove, Missouri. He became an extremely successful American educator and an outstanding innovator in the agricultural sciences. Carver's accomplishments were unparalleled in his time but even with his tremendous success he still was discriminated in a time of great racial tension but his character and personal wit helped him triumph and persevere.