Cole County celebrated its bicentennial in 2020. People are confused as to how we can be older than the State of Missouri, which didn't officially become the 24th state in the Union until August 1821. Cole County became a county Nov. 16, 1820; while Missouri formally became a state Aug. 10, 1821. I tell these people that Cole County settlers were so much more intelligent and efficient than all others comprising the Missouri Territory, we just didn't wait - all 1,028 Cole County citizens! In actuality, Cole, Boone and Callaway counties all broke off from Cooper County and became counties in November 1820. Cooper County had become a county in 1818 when it separated from Howard County, which had become a county in 1826 when it broke off from St. Louis County.
Missouri was created to become a State of the Union in 1820, along with Alabama and Maine. In May 1820, 41 delegates assembled at the home of William Bennett as the Constitutional Convention to draft a Missouri Constitution. David Barton, originally from Tennessee, was selected chairman of the Constitutional Convention, and a constitution was created that remained unchanged until the Civil War. The governor and lieutenant governor would be the only two officers elected by popular vote of the state. All other officials were appointed by the governor except the treasurer, who would serve a two-year term and was selected by the Legislature. The Supreme Court consisted of three judges, and the governor appointed all judges. Elected officials would serve four-year terms.
On Aug. 28, 1820, the first state election was held. Alexander McNair was elected governor, and William Ashley was lieutenant governor. The Legislature was composed of 14 senators and 43 representatives elected regionally, and the first session convened in September in St. Louis. Cole, Boone and Callaway counties were created at this first session.
Missouri had applied to the United States Congress to become a state and had a constitution, a governor and a general assembly. Unfortunately, the question of slavery in our Constitution stirred up controversy in Congress, and statehood was not approved. The majority of the 41 delegates who drafted our original constitution were Southerners with slaves. They had a clause in our constitution prohibiting any "free negroes or mulattoes" from settling in Missouri as citizens. According to the 1820 Census, Missouri's population was 70,647, with 11,254 being slaves; so slavery was definitely a large percentage of the Missouri territory/state population. Maine and Alabama were accepted into the Union in 1820, but Missouri was not.
I remember hearing of the "Missouri Compromise" in high school citizenship class many years ago, but I, and I would think the majority of Missourians, probably have no idea of its significance in our state's history. Without the Missouri Compromise, we would have remained a territory and potentially have become a part of Illinois or, heaven forbid, a part of Arkansas.
Congress was divided equally among "free" and "slave" states and would not accept the Missouri Constitution as written. The question of slavery would continue to cause this division for the next 40 years until the start of the Civil War.
Henry Clay, of Kentucky, was our savior when he proposed the Missouri Compromise. Missouri would not modify its Constitution, but would pass a public act stating the negro/mulatto clause would not be enforced. Believe it or not, this was acceptable to Congress, and on Aug. 10, 1821, President James Monroe granted Missouri statehood.
The Missouri General Assembly made St. Charles its temporary state capital but immediately appointed a committee of four to locate a site for the establishment of a permanent capital. They also directed that this site be situated on the Missouri River within 40 miles of the mouth of the Osage River. I will save the creation of Jefferson City for a future story, but Missouri did not become a state as easily as we became a county!
Missouri entered the Union on Aug. 10, 1821, as the 24th state. The 24-star flag served as our national flag until 1836 when Arkansas joined the Union. Cole County is flying the 24-star flag over our courthouse through 2021 to commemorate the bicentennial of our state.
Happy birthday, Missouri!
Sam Bushman is the presiding commissioner on the Cole County Commission. He shares his perspective each month on county issues. He can be reached at [email protected].
Sources: "Across Our Wide Missouri, Volumes 1 and 2," by Bob Priddy; "History of Jefferson City, 1821-1938," by James E. Ford