Missouri: The Heart of the Nation....Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Radical Rule

-Charles D. Drake
-The End of Slavery
-The Constitution of 1865
-Who Shall Vote?
-Purging the Courts
-Ratifying the Constitution
-Testing the Test Oath
-Election of 1866
-Lawlessness and Vigilantes
-Election Results: 1866
-The Equal Rights League
-J. Milton Turner
-The Problems of Freedom
-Radical Republicans and Education
-Teacher's Colleges
-University of Missouri
-Private Education
-Cultural and Sports Activities
-Religious and Other Organizations
-Newspapers
-The High Tide of Radicalism, 1868
-Carl Schurz
-Women's Suffrage
-Revision of the Test Oath
-The Liberal Republican Movement
-The Return of Democrats
-Election of 1874
-The Constitution of 1875

Although the Civil War ended in 1865, there was still a considerable amount of rancor and chaos in Missouri. Violence and lawlessness with emotions still high on both sides occurred mostly in the countryside. In the political realm Missouri had quite a bit of work to do also. With the election of a new governor, Thomas C. Fletcher, the state constitution would be revisited along with other items such as purging the courts of "un-loyal" officials. The coming to power of the Radicals Republicans who were able to gain a significant amount of political power, including the almost unlimited power to determine the loyalty of any individual wishing to register for voting. A positive in the post-war period, was the uniting of African Americans in Missouri. Many blacks formed groups like the Equal Rights League and received help from organizations such as the Freedmen's Bureau. Life was not easy for African Americans but conditions were getting better. Several interesting points in the chapter are the establishment of Teacher's Colleges and the mention of Carl Schurz. We know Southeast was founded as a teacher's college and has evolved into a much larger university, I have a great aunt who is 97 and she went to the Teacher's College in Cape nearly eight decades ago. I had heard of Carl Schurz before but not in relation to Missouri. I knew he was a Union general in the Civil War who was in command of a division under O.O. Howard in the 11th Corps but did not know he ended up settling in Missouri. Below, I've included a picture I found of St. Vincent's College in Cape, which is now on the River Campus ,and also a picture of Carl Schurz.