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When Claiborne Fox Jackson took the oath of office as Missouri's governor on January 3, 1861, only South Carolina had seceded from the Union. But in the weeks that followed, and as the Civil War loomed, more Southern states joined the Confederacy. Governor Jackson, who supported secession, called for a state convention to determine whether Missouri should follow suit. He found himself in a distinct minority, however, surrounded largely by Unionist delegates.

In Missouri and the Secession Crisis, Dwight T. Pitcaithley presents a collection of primary source documents that outline the history of the secession crisis in Missouri from the perspective of the state's leading political figures. Arranged in chronological order, the volume includes addresses by outgoing and incoming governors, speeches by Missouri's United States senators and representatives, and documents from the Missouri State Convention. Pitcaithley's well-crafted introduction offers a comprehensive overview of the Show Me State's political history, and his extensive annotations throughout the book provide context on key figures and events.

A detailed timeline of events, a helpful roster of State Convention delegates, and an appendix of questions for discussion make Pitcaithley's Missouri and the Secession Crisis an ideal companion for scholars of Civil War history, the secession crisis, and the history of slavery in America.