Missouri: The Heart of the Nation...Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Missouri Since the 1990s


-Introduction

-Population Growth

-Economic Growth in the 1990s

-Politics

-The Great Flood of 1993

-Education and the Carnahan Legacy

-Gambling

-Entertainment

-Financial Problems in the New Century


This chapter takes us from the 1990s into the 2000s. In politics, many memorable politicians served in this period: The Carnahans, the Blunts, and Christopher "Kit" Bond to name a few. During the 1990s, Missouri's population grew by 9.3 percent the major cities experienced population grow as did the smaller cities like Columbia, Cape Girardeau, and Jefferson City. It was also during this time of a strong economy that Missouri's poverty rate fell to 10.8 percent. The Great Flood of 1993 was a major event in Missouri at this time and is still a major event that many Missourians often talk about. Places like Ste. Genevieve were greatly impacted by the rushing waters of the Mighty Mississippi. Missouri has always been a "low tax'' state. In 2002, it ranked in the bottom third of states when it came to the harshness of its taxes. During this period, Missourians were more prosperous than mot citizens. Unemployment was below the national average, and median income was a bit higher. In regards to education in Missouri, its high school graduation rates were among the highest in the nation and students scores on the ACT and other achievement tests ranked Missouri at or above the national average. This is all well and good but these are not reasons why I love Missouri. Below, I've included a few of my favorite things in Missouri.

Valle Catholic High School Football: 11 State Championships (most in state history) located in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
 

Cross-town rivalry game "The Old Settlement Game" between Valle Catholic and Ste. Genevieve

  

Ste. Genevieve American Legion Baseball



Mizzou Tigers Football



St. Louis Cardinals Baseball


How about some of the best sights...

Busch Stadium

The Edward Jones Dome




I can't forget the mighty Mississippi!



  

Missouri: The Heart of the Nation...Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Missouri During the 1980s


-Overview of the Politics in the 1980s
-Elections in the 1980s
-Women and African Americans in Politics
-Education in the 1980s
-The St. Louis and Kansas City Desegregation Cases
-Other Educational Controversies
-The Question of the Right to Life
-The Green Issues
-Difficulties in Environmental Issues
-Gains in the Environmental Movement
-The Missouri Cultural Resource Inventory
-The Missouri Historic Preservation Revolving Fund
-"Breakthrough," November 9, 1990


This chapter gives us a brief overview of some of the major events and movements during the 1980s in Missouri. Controversial issues such as Right to Life and the worldwide "green" movement were felt in Missouri. Missouri has also done a fantastic job of preservation, it is home to 37 National Historic Landmarks and 5 Historic National Park Service areas. Missouri was also the sight of Winston Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" Speech in Fulton. For the people of Southeast Missouri many of these great sites are quite close. St. Louis is home to many of the historic sites along with Ste. Genevieve which has several also.

The Louis Bolduc House in Ste. Genevieve, a National Historic Landmark.


The Ste. Genevieve Historic District is also listed as a National Historic Landmark.

Missouri: The Heart of the Nation...Chaters 17 and 18

Chapter 17 An Urbanizing Missouri: Postwar Economic Development


-Population Shifts, 1940-90
-Changes in Agriculture
-Agricultural Production: Crops
-Agricultural Production: Livestock
-Mining
-The Urban Population
-Manufacturing Developments
-Services
-Wholesale and Retail Trade
-Tourism
-Lake of the Ozarks
-Southwest Ozarks
-Central Ozarks
-State Parks
-Tourism in Kansas City and St. Louis
-Out-State Missouri
-Missouri's Economic Future

The trend beginning to emerge in the 1930s of fewer Missourians engaged in agriculture and more employed in manufacturing and service industries accelerated during and after World War II. As a result of these economic changes, urban areas experienced impressive population growth, while rural areas suffered corresponding loss. This does not mean however that agriculture is not an important part of the Missouri economy or way of life. Many advances have been made so that what farms there are-are able to run at optimum productivity when possible. Missouri also has deposits of minerals that are mined in areas like the "Lead Belt" region near Ironton. The state also has great state parks that draw in many visitors from the state and out of state, not to mention that cities like Kansas City and St. Louis that draw in many tourists. Many of these points really hit home with me. My hometown is in Ste. Genevieve which is a community that draws a decent amount of tourists considering it is the first continuous European settlement west of the Mississippi River. It was also a community who's backbone is still the hardworking farmers who reap the benefits of the river bottoms, known as "The Big Fields" by the locals, as very rich soil for farming. We are however, not very far from the Lead Belt or Mineral Area in Ironton and Bonne Terre. Ste. Genevieve is known for a different kind of mining-limestone. The lime kilns in Ste. Genevieve produce huge amounts of lime for many different purposes ,including agriculture, that is shipped around the region and country.



The old mine in the Lead Belt/Mineral Area near Park Hills, a state historic site.



Some of the miners that worked there.





Chapter 18 Modern Missouri: Educational and Cultural Development


-School Consolidation
-Financing Schools
-Higher Education
-New Building for Education
-Enrollments in Colleges
-Expansion of the State System
-University of Missouri
-Private Schools
-Historical Collections and Libraries
-Historic Preservation
-Kansas City's Cultural Resources
-St. Louis's Cultural Resources
-Out-State Missouri's Cultural Resources
-Ethnic Cultural Events
-Missouri State Council on the Arts; Missouri Committee for the Humanities
-Bicentennial
-Changing Cultural Patterns

The post-World War II era ushered in a renewed commitment to education. The government began funding more schools and items such as the GI Bill helped to bring large numbers of individuals to colleges. Campuses of existing universities were expanded and new colleges and schools created. A new goal of preservation also arose as people dedicated themselves to preserving Missouri history (documents, art, buildings, etc.). Missouri is a state where the arts flourish as evidenced by the large number of theaters, galleries, and museums in cities like St. Louis and Kansas City. I can personally attest to how great the St. Louis Symphony and the various museums, and the "Muny" (the Municipal Opera) really are. The St. Louis Art Museum is fantastic and the Military Museum is a gem that many people don't know about. Both Powell Hall and the Fox Theater are great places to see both plays and concerts. The Jefferson memorial under the Arch is also fantastic, even if you are afraid of heights-going up in the Arch is a must.

 

       
  
The Fox Theater^
The Muny in Forest Park



The St. Louis Art Museum, also in Forest Park.

Missouri: The Heart of the Nation...Chapters 15 and 16

Chapter 15 The Pendergast Era

-The Great Depression
-The New Deal Comes to Missouri
-The Bank Holiday
-The Efforts of Governor Park
-The Plight of the Farmers
-The Unemployed
-Social Security
-The Repeal of Prohibition
-The Pendergast Machine in State Politics
-Senator Harry S. Truman
-Reform Continues Under Governor Stark
-The Fall of Tom Pendergast
-"Man Shall Not Live By Bread Alone..."
     *People Still Attended Church
     *People Still Sent Their Children To School
     *People Still Listened To The Radio
     *People Still Went To The Movies
     *People Still Considered Baseball "America's Favorite Pastime"
     *People Still Wrote Books And Others Read Them
-The End of the New Deal
-Election of 1940
-World War II


Chapter fifteen is a journey from the dregs of the Great Depression to the victory of the United States in World War II. Roosevelt's New Deal helped Missouri and he rest of the country pull itself up by its own bootstraps. We also see the decline of the powerful political bosses such as Tom Pendergast of Kansas City. Despite the tough economic times of The Great Depression and the ensuing years, Missourians still went about their business relatively normally: going to church, sending their kids to school, listening to the radio, watching movies, cheering for their St. Louis Cardinals, and even reading and writing books. The resilient people of Missouri and America would once again be tested during the second World War, but ultimate victory would be the result.

Chapter 16 The 1945 Constitution and Postwar Politics

-The Constitutional Convention of 1943-44
-The Executive Branch
-The General Assembly
-The Courts
-Ratification
-Reorganization Since 1945
-Election of 1944
-Election of 1946
-Election of 1948
-Democratic Dominance, 1948-68
-Stuart Symington
-Civil Rights Movement
-African-American Leaders
-Civil Rights Legislation
-Civil Unrest in Kansas City
-The Women's Movement
-Election of 1968
-Election of 1972
-Election of 1976

The post-war era in Missouri saw changes to the Missouri Constitution and governmental reorganization. Immediately following the war Missourians were somewhat split between Republicans and Democrats but the election of 1948 ushered in three decades of Democratic dominance in the Missouri state government. During this period much of the state's civil rights legislation was passed and the first African American to represent Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives, William "Lacy" Clay, was elected. But 1968, with the election of John Danforth as Attorney General, signaled a renewed Republican power since it was the first Republican victory in a statewide contest for office since 1946. in the years to follow the Republicans would continue to grow in strength but by 1976 it became apparent that Missouri was once again competitive for both political parties and this strong two-party system continued.  Below, are a few pictures.
Kansas City political force Tom Pendergast


Harry Truman, the favorite president of my grandfather.

The Dead End Kids of St. Louis, Part II

Summary

-Chapter 6: Child Savers and the St. Louis Newsboys

-Chapter 7: City on the Skids

-Chapter 8: Young Men and Criminal Gangs

-Chapter 9: A New Deal for Homeless Youth

-Chapter 10: Youth and the Changing City Streets

-Conclusion

-Epilogue


There were people on the side of these homeless and neglected boys. One of these people was Father Joseph Dunne, an orphan himself, who founded the Newsboys' Home and Protectorate. Chapter six deals heavily in the story of Father Dunne and the many boys he was able to influence and set on the right path. Despite the efforts of reformers who tried to clean up the city and help get these young boys off the street, places like Skid Row grew as many boys and many occupied this very rough part of the city that was full of vices. In the first half of the twentieth century the downtown area of St. Louis also began to deteriorate. This is all discussed in chapter seven. Chapter eight describes a time in St. Louis and U.S. history when gangsters and outlaws roamed the streets and back-alleys of the city. Prohibition lead to underground criminal activity that many of the young itinerant boys became ensnared in. In chapter nine Stepenoff discusses the Great Depression and Roosevelt's New Deal and how these events shaped St. Louis' neglected boys and young men. In the post-World War II era we began to see a change in the urban fabric of St. Louis and other major cities. The white families of the middle class began to move to the suburbs, while poorer African Americans moved into the city seeking cheaper housing and more work. These shift is discussed in chapter ten along with the fact that although the faces or skin color of these young boys may have changed, the say same problems existed and are still prevalent. Below, I've included several pictures.

Young boys associated with the Men's Bureau, an organization that sought to help men and boys.


Some young boys in St. Louis up to no good.

The Dead End Kids of St. Louis: Homeless Boys and the People Who Tried to Save Them

Summary

-Introduction

-Chapter 1 The City Streets

-Chapter 2 Orphans and Orphanages

-Chapter 3 Drifters in the City Streets

-Chapter 4 Games, Gangs, Hideouts, and Caves

-Chapter 5 Juvenile Delinquents and the House of Refuge

-Chapter 6 Child Savers and St. Louis Newsboys


Chapter One describes the streets of St. Louis in the nineteenth century. This is a time when thousands of boys were wandering in and out of the city, "struggling to grow up on their own or with little help from adults." In chapter two deals with orphans and the efforts of those who tried to help them. Religious organizations did a large amount of work to shelter these children, as did some orphanages in the city. Many of the boys at these homes were being indentured at a young age and many of them were overworked. Chapter three touches on the different gangs of young boys in the city that began life as petty thieves and many continued this criminality into adulthood. This was in many cases by necessity and not by choice, and chapter four deals with how these young boys passed many hours a day together standing on street corners or playing in abandoned buildings. Some of these boys even took shelter in the natural caves below St. Louis. In chapter five Stepenoff deals with places like the House of Refuge and other attempts to house and educate these "dead end kids." Chapter six is very similar to the previous chapter in that it deals with another organization, Father Dunne's Newsboys' Home and Protectorate, that had religious roots and sought to care for and educate these young children. Below I've included some photos of children associated with Father Dunne's Newsboys' Home.



The boys at Father Dunne's press room learning a trade.



This is my favorite picture of all of them.^

Missouri: The Heart of the Nation

Summary: Chapters 13 and 14

Chapter 13

-The Frontier Artist
-George Caleb Bingham (1811-79)
-Carl Wimar (1828-62)
-Schools and Galleries
-Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975)
-Samuel Langhorne Clemens, "Mark Twain" (1835-1910)
-Eugene Field, "The Children's Poet" (1850-95)
-Kate O'Flaherty Chopin (1851-1904)
-Harold Bell Wright (1872-1944)
-Reedy's Mirror
-Three Important Poets
-The Sound of Music
-Ragtime
-Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
-"I Hate to See De Evenin' Sun Go Down"
-The Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World's Fair, 1904)


This chapter introduces some of the great writers and artists, in several fields, in Missouri in the 19th and 20th centuries. Great painters such as George Caleb Bingham and Thomas Hart Benton were know not only as great Missouri painters; they were great American painters. The writers such as Mark Twain, Eugene Field, and Kate O'Flaherty Chopin also gained national attention for their works. Poets such as T.S Eliot also came from Missouri and became world-famous. Even famous musicians like Scott Joplin were Missourians. My oldest aunt has told me the story of meeting Thomas Hart Benton when she was a little girl. She was visiting the Missouri State Capitol with her class and he was painting a mural. She recalls looking at the partially finished mural when Benton came up to her and asked whether she liked it or not. Not knowing he was a famous painter until later, she responded yes to which he asked what was her favorite part of the mural, and typical to many young girls she said her favorite part was the horses, to which he apparently chuckled. My aunt has never been one to lie so I believe the story, which is pretty darn neat. Below I've included a portion of one of Benton's murals in the state capitol that he may have been painting when my aunt met him. Also a picture of Benton painting.
(it is pretty small, I couldn't get it any larger)












Chapter 14:

-Problems with Neutrality
-Election of 1916
-America Enters the War
-War's Impact on Missouri
-Women's Suffrage
-Prohibition
-Politics: Republicans Take Control
-Election of 1922
-Pendergast Machine in Democratic Politics
-1924 Election and the Ku Klux Klan
-Election of 1926
-Election of 1928
-Road Building
-Charles A. Lindbergh: Hero
-Education
-The Economy and Depression

Of al these events: war, elections, fighting for rights, the two sections I found most interesting were Prohibition and the 1924 Election and the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan did not like the change America was experiencing at this time, forces such as urbanization, mechanization, and secularization intruded on their lives. For a period numbers in the Klan were very high but after the election of 1924 the Klan's numbers and influenced declined. People were rejecting the violence and racism inherent in the KKK. Prohibition occurred in 1919 with the passage of the 18th Amendment. My great-grandfather (yes, another family story) owned a tavern in St. Louis. When prohibition came along he ran it secretly out of the same building. To supplement his income he was the chief mechanic for the Cuckoo Gang. The gang earned a reputation for being "fast and willing shooters who would fight anyone, including themselves. Extortion from bootleggers and other gangs, robbery, kidnapping and murder for fun and profit were Cuckoo specialties." He fixed their cars up so that they would be able to out run the police so that they could run liquor and also just simply get away from crimes. By looking at my great-grandfather you would never have thought he would have been involved, even partially, in organized crime, but he did what he had needed to do to provide for his family. The picture  below is of the Birger Gang who were associates of the Cuckoo Gang.