Series 1 — The Fires Before the War: Bleeding Kansas (1854–1860) — Article 6 Discover how the Election of 1860 pushed Missouri to the brink. Fear, fractured loyalties, and political turmoil made civil war nearly unavoidable. Election of 1860 By November 1860, Missourians weren’t just choosing a president — they were choosing what future their…

Series 1 — The Fires Before the War: Bleeding Kansas (1854–1860) — Article 5 Discover how Missouri’s newspapers, preachers, and politicians used propaganda to inflame fear, shape loyalties, and push the state toward Civil War. Politics & Propaganda: How Words Drove Missouri Toward War By the late 1850s, Missouri was not just fighting along its…

Series 1 – The Fires Before The War: Bleeding Kansas (1854–1860) — Article 4 Missouri state militias grew out of Bleeding Kansas violence. Discover how local defense bands evolved into the forces that shaped Missouri’s Civil War fate. The Rise of Missouri State Militias By the late 1850s, the Missouri–Kansas border had become a proving…