Talk:History of Missouri

Later 19th century and 20th century
The article needs material on later immigrants, industrialization and other changes. Everything didn't end with the Civil War. Parkwells (talk) 17:31, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Not to mention policies that have changed the agricultural landscape. Although arguably, Missouri's importance ended after the civil war Meatsgains (talk) 00:39, 25 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I've been expanding the entire article for a while now to address this and other issues. It'll likely need to be split into sections and summarized at some point to address length, but that can wait until the big gaps are fixed. poroubalous (talk) 20:47, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

One sentence about Slavery may need to be rethought:

"Despite the harsh realities of the slavery system, slave owners in Missouri sometimes displayed genuine concern for their slaves.[103]"

No doubt, almost anything is "sometimes" true about any complex human institution. Still, I doubt the same thing is stated in the article about Mississippi. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.92.65.166 (talk) 00:25, 18 August 2020 (UTC)

French at Old Mines
I do believe the European exploration and colonization section of this article is a bit skimpy on the subject of the French at Old Mines. Though I've read what I could find about Old Mines&mdash;and initiated that article&mdash;I don't feel competent enough in the wider subject to significantly alter the article. But others are invited to explore the topic and adjust or expand the article as seems appropriate. --Kbh3rd talk 03:35, 21 November 2012 (UTC)


 * You're right that it seems too brief on that settlement; the article seems to suggest that the French presence there disappeared with the pullout in 1742. I'll see what I can dig up that will allow a little expansion there. poroubalous (talk) 20:18, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Abolitionists
I removed a citation for the groups that opposed slavery; Meyer (the cited source) said it was three groups split by occupation. User RJensen changed this to New Englanders and Germans, which is verifiable, but just not in Meyer at that citation. I'm working through the slavery section to expand it as part of a broader expansion and renovation of the article, so I'm sure I'll find a source for the statement as it now stands. poroubalous (talk) 20:17, 22 December 2012 (UTC)
 * you're doing a good job--keep plugging away! Rjensen (talk) 01:47, 23 December 2012 (UTC)

Splitting the article
I am expanding the article and knew as I entered this that it would need to be split into subarticles along the lines of History of St. Louis. It's at 99KB of readable prose size; I estimate the rewrite and expansion is about 60% complete, so it will likely need several subarticles. I propose two different divisions, the difference being the treatment of the Civil War:

Option A Before 1673 1673-1803 1804-1874 1875-1901 1902-1945 1946-present

Option B Before 1673 1673-1803 1804-1860 1861-1874 1875-1901 1902-1945 1946-present

Option B would look something like this: 1673-1803 -Indigenous peoples -French settlement and government -Spanish settlement and government -Economic development in colonial Missouri -Social life in colonial Missouri

1804-1860 -Territorial government and growth -Statehood and early politics -Connections and trade in the West -Economic change in early Missouri -Social life in early Missouri -Slavery and Bleeding Kansas

1861-1874 -Politics before the Civil War -Early battles in Missouri -Political upheaval during the war -Later battles in Missouri -Social and economic issues during the war -Radical Republican rule of Missouri -Return to conservatism

1875-1919 -Economic and industrial growth -Agricultural changes and expansion -Social and cultural change -Populism and corruption -Progressivism and government -Missouri in World War I

1919-1945 -Politics of the 1920s -Economic issues and diversification -The Great Depression and New Deal -Interwar social life -Missouri in World War II -Reforming the Constitution

1946-present -Politics after the war -Agricultural and economic life -Education and society in Missouri

Thoughts? Alternatives? The split isn't immediately necessary, but I figured getting a head start on discussing it would be a good idea. poroubalous (talk) 17:32, 23 December 2012 (UTC)
 * I like option B better Rjensen (talk) 05:30, 24 December 2012 (UTC)
 * It seems to work better that way; it gives the antebellum stuff room to breathe and allows the Civil War to stand on its own as an important era in state history. I also realized that the constitutional changes belong in the 1919-1945 section and not 46-present so I moved that up. Names of the subsections could use some work, too; they're really just placeholders until the article is finished with more references and information. poroubalous (talk) 18:36, 24 December 2012 (UTC)

River traffic section
Earlier I moved: "The population of the Mississippi River region served by St Louis increased rapidly to about 4 million people in 1860.[72] With railroads just beginning to be important in the late 1850s, the riverboat traffic dominated the transportation and trade worlds, and St. Louis flourished at the center, with connections east along the Ohio, Illinois, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, west along the Missouri River, and north and south along the Mississippi." to the Connections and commerce section of 1804-1860; it's duplicated now that it's been restored to the Civil War section. poroubalous (talk) 18:55, 24 December 2012 (UTC)

colonial era
The articles getting too long, so I moved the long section on the colonial period to 1803 to a new article History of Missouri (1673–1803). The template had been there for this article and now is the time to use it. In historical terms, the division on 1803 was quite sharp, in terms of politics, economics, settlement, exploration And historiography, So I hope the division makes for to useful articles. Rjensen (talk) 09:17, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

Timeline of Missouri
Any interest in creating a Timeline of Missouri article? A few other US states have timelines (see Category:Timelines of states of the United States). Here is a source: -- M2545 (talk) 06:55, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
 * good idea and a good source Rjensen (talk) 07:12, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
 * Great idea, I’ll add to my to do list but if someone wants to take a crack at it feel free. Grey Wanderer (talk) 07:11, 27 February 2019 (UTC)