Missouri and the Secession Crisis: A Documentary History

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 Cri...