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Missouri in the Civil War
The Civil War
On April 12, 1861, the first shots of the
Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in
South Carolina. A civil war is a war
between groups within the same country.
Tensions had been rising between people
in Northern states and Southern states for
many years. The main cause for this
tension was the issue of slavery.
Slavery in Missouri
Slavery had existed in
Missouri for many years.
In 1820, Missouri’s
enslaved population was
just over 10,000. Most
Missourians at that time
had come from Southern
states. Some had
brought their slaves with
them to work on their new
farms.
Slavery in Missouri
Over the next 40 years, many people
from Northern states and from other
countries moved to Missouri. These
people did not have slaves. Many of
them did not approve of slavery.
However, most did not speak out on
the issue. This prevented conflict
with Missouri slaveholders.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854, Congress passed the KansasNebraska Act. This law created the
territories of Kansas and Nebraska on
Missouri’s western border. According to
the Missouri Compromise, these lands
were supposed to be free. The new act
canceled the Missouri Compromise.
People in the territories would vote on
whether to allow slavery.
Border Wars
Many Missourians in the
western part of the state
owned slaves and did not
want Kansas to become a
free state. Some, called
Border Ruffians, crossed
into Kansas to vote illegally
or to attack other groups.
Fights broke out along the
border.
The Nation Tears Apart
In 1861, 11 states left the United States to
form a new country called the Confederate
States of America. Missouri faced an
important decision. Should it stay in the
United States, or join the Confederacy?
Although Missouri chose to stay, not all
Missourians supported the decision.
Some felt closer ties to the people of the
South.
Conflict Leads to War
President Lincoln did not accept the states
leaving the Union. War broke out between
the United States and the Confederacy.
There was much fighting on Missouri land.
Only Virginia and Tennessee saw more
fighting. The Battle of Wilson’s Creek was
the first major battle west of the
Mississippi River.
Civil War Battles in Missouri
The End of the War
In January 1865, Missouri became the first
former slave state to end slavery. Missouri
took this important step before the federal
government. A month later, Congress sent
states the 13th Amendment for their
approval. It was an addition to the United
States Constitution. It ended slavery
everywhere in the nation.
civil war
• A war fought between
groups within the
same country.
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