This post is dedicated to the other half of Missouri’s long lineage of Senators. All will have their tenures listed, along with their main party affiliations and how long they kept their office for. I have done my best to link websites and information that may interest those who desire to research these men further. For those unaware of the requirements, becoming a US Senator is a hard-won achievement that requires an individual to meet certain criteria before their election. As mandated by the Constitution of the United States, a candidate for the Senate must be at least thirty years of age, a citizen of the United States for nine years before filing for candidacy, and a resident of his state. This list will be edited and republished with each new winner of the seat until this blog is discontinued.

1. David Barton [1821 – 1831] (Democratic – Republican, Democrat, Anti-Jacksonian)

a. Moved to St. Louis in 1809 to start his law practice and became deeply connected in politics

b. Joined Nathaniel Boone’s company of mounted rangers in 1812 and was appointed by William Clark to be the Missouri Territory’s Attorney General in 1813

c. Credited by legend for having such a leading role in Missouri’s first constitution that it was nicknamed “the Barton Constitution”

2. Alexander Buckner [1831 – 1833] (Jacksonian Democrat)

a. Little is known about Buckner’s life before his election to public office, though it is known that he studied law and opened a law office in Clark County, MO

b. His wife and he died within hours of each other from a cholera epidemic in 1833. Both were buried on their farm in Jackson, MO and left no descendants

3. Lewis Linn [1833 – 1843] (Jacksonian Democrat)

a. Trained physician and the half brother of Moses Henry Dodge. Served as the main surgeon of Dodge’s troops during the War of 1812

b. Became very interested in public affairs after his military service, and was popular enough to be appointed to fill Buckner’s empty seat in the US Senate

c. Known as one of the fathers of the Oregon Territory and for organizing (alongside Senator Benton) the Platte Purchase for Missouri. Also worked on the side to settle numerous old Spanish land claims

4. David Rice Atchison [1843 – 1855] (Democrat)

a. Was a bright and promising lawyer. Educated at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY, and his classmates included George Wallace Jones and Jefferson Davis. Moved to Liberty, MO in Clay County in 1830

b. Known as a prominent advocate of slavery and the plantation system. His budding law practice included Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church as clients

c. Fervent advocate of slavery, territorial expansion during his Senatorial career. Legend has it that he was President for a day in 1849 because President- Elect Zachary Taylor didn’t take the oath of office immediately. Known for leading a force of 5,000 border ruffians during Bleeding Kansas and then being exposed by Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor. Would subsequently take a commission in the Missouri State Guard during the Civil War

5. James Green [1857 – 1861] (Democrat)

a. Autodidactically learned Constitutional law and was admitted to the Missouri bar in 1840. Would go on to impress many delegates in the 1845 Missouri Constitutional Convention with his expansive knowledge of law, which helped get him elected to the US House in 1846

b. Known for being a staunch supporter of the Southern cause in Missouri. Allegedly helped to bury Thomas Hart Benton’s political career after Benton came out as anti-slavery. Would later work with Missourians sympathetic to the Southern cause to move Missouri out of the Union

6. Waldo Johnson [1861 – 1862] (Democrat)

a. Trained as a lawyer and had a budding law practice on the Missouri-Kansas border during the rising tensions in the area

b. Served in the Mexican American War as a private before leaving the Army and joining the Missouri House of Representatives. Would later be elected to the Senate, but would be expelled on January 10, 1862 for treason

c. Would volunteer with the Confederate Army and the Missouri Home Guard during the Civil War, serving at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Fled to Ontario after the Civil War but returned after receiving a Presidential pardon

7. Robert Wilson [1862 – 1863] (Unionist)

a. Teacher, lawyer, judge, and Brigadier General in the Missouri State Defense Force. Commanded troops during the Mormon War.

b. Known in his political career for being a pro-slavery Unionist aligned with the Whig Party. Was appointed to complete Waldo Johnson’s unexpired term

8. B. Gratz Brown [1863 – 1867] (Unionist, Radical Republican, Republican)

a. Lawyer and politico from the St. Louis region. Originally started his political career as a Democrat but helped to found the Missouri Republican Party in the 1850s

b. Worked to keep Missouri in the Union and abolish slavery by founding the Emancipation Party

c. Known for losing a duel to Thomas Reynolds in 1856 on Bloody Island. Was shot in the leg and would have a limp for the rest of his life

9. Charles Drake [1867 – 1870] (Republican, Radical Republican)

a. Lawyer from St. Louis and a midshipman in the Navy from 1827 – 1830

b. Known for being staunchly anti-slavery and radically pro-Emancipation during his tenure in the Senate

c. Chief contribution to Missouri history is being the drafter of the “Drake Constitution” for Missouri after the end of the Civil War. The “Drake Constitution” disenfranchised all Confederate sympathizers in Missouri, even if you expressed indirect support for the Confederacy. Drake Constitution was later overturned as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1875

10. Daniel Jewett [1870 – 1871] (Republican)

a. Lawyer and descendant from the Pilgrims. Studied law at Harvard and moved to St. Louis in 1857 to practice

b. Vocal supporter of the Union during the Civil War but was too old to serve in the Army himself. Served briefly as Charles Drake’s replacement but refused to run for re-election

11. Francis Blair Jr. [1871 – 1873] (Democrat)

a. Lawyer, soldier, general, and politico. He had extensive political ties in Missouri. His brother Montgomery Blair was the mayor of St. Louis and his boss at the law firm he worked at was Thomas Hart Benton

b. Served extensively with the Union Army in Missouri during the Civil War and spent most of his considerable fortune for the Union cause. He was left destitute after the War

c. Known for aligning with the Bentonite camp of anti-slavery Democrats prior to the Civil War, though he was a known slave owner. Unwavering supporter of Abraham Lincoln before and during his Presidency and supporter of gradual emancipation for slaves

12. Lewis Bogy [1873 – 1877] (Democrat)

a. Born in Ste. Geneviève and interrupted his law studies to serve in the Black Hawk War. Continued to study at Transylvania University

b. Expressed sympathy for the Southern cause throughout his political life but refused to become a secessionist as the Civil War broke out. Remained a political moderate who spoke out against secessionists and the Radical Republicans

c. Strenuously objected to the acceptance of Louisiana’s electoral votes for Rutherford B. Hayes during the 1876 Presidential campaign. Legend has it that the stress of those Senatorial debates is ultimately what killed him in 1877

13. David Armstrong [1877 – 1879] (Democrat)

a. Public school teacher. Post-master, comptroller, and member of the board of police commissioners for St. Louis

b. Served without distinction in the US Senate after being appointed to fill Bogy’s seat. Did not run for reelection

14. James Shields [1879] (Democrat)

a. Born in Ireland, received a classical and military education from Napoleonic War veterans, and initially failed to emigrate to the United States when his ship was driven aground in Scotland. He was one of three or four survivors from that shipwreck

b. Served in the Mexican American War and the American Civil War. Dueled Abraham Lincoln in 1842, and served as the Senator from Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri

c. Declined the opportunity to run for reelection after he was elected to finish Bogy’s term

15. George Graham Vest [1879 – 1903] (Democrat)

a. Lawyer and politico originally from Frankfort, KY. Known for representing Charles Burden in Burden v. Hornsby in Sedalia, whose dog Old Drum had been killed by local sheep farmer Leonidas Hornsby. Vest’s closing arguments, called “Eulogy of the Dog”, is known as one of the best courtroom purple prose passages in American courtroom history

b. Known advocate for the Southern cause during the Civil War and represented Missouri in the Confederate Congress. Even served as a judge advocate of the Confederate Army of Missouri, commanded by Sterling Price

c. As a Senator, he was most renowned for his preservation of Yellowstone National Park from monopolistic interests, being a prominent advocate for free silver policy, and sought to reform how Indians on reservations were treated by the federal government

16. William Joel Stone [1903 – 1918] (Democrat)

a. Lawyer and politico born in Richmond, MO. He’s one of the few people who has served his state as a Representative in the state government, the Governor, and a Senator throughout his career

b. Served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the Senate and was adamantly against US involvement in WWI. He was one of six US Senators to vote against the declaration of war against Germany in 1917

17. Zenophon Wilfley [1918] (Democrat)

a. Appointed by Governor Frederick Gardner to fill out the remaining term for William Stone. Ran for reelection, but lost the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat to Joseph Folk, who then lost to Republican Selden Spenser in the general election

18. Selden Spenser [1918 – 1925] (Republican)

a. Lawyer and politico from Erie, PA. Received his education in New Haven, CA before moving to Missouri to attend Washington University’s School of Law and starting his own practice

b. Known politically for his time in Missouri’s House of Representatives. However, in the US Senate he supported the Korean independence movement from Japan, wrote critically against Japan’s violent suppression of the March First Movement protests, and was one of the Republicans in opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and American participation in the League of Nations

19. George Williams [1925 – 1926] (Republican)

a. Lawyer and politico from California, MO. Attended Princeton and Washington University for his bachelors degree and law degree

b. Appointed to serve out the rest of Selden Spenser’s term when he unexpectedly died. He has been intimately involved in local Republican politics beforehand, serving as a circuit court judge and helped develop the juvenile code for Missouri

20. Harry Hawes [1926 – 1933] (Democrat)

a. Lawyer, conservationist, and politico. Born in Covington, KY to the Hawes family. Richard Hawes served as the second Confederate Governor of Kentucky during the Civil War. Graduated with a law degree from Washington University’s School of Law

b. Began his political career in the 1904 Governor’s race and served in the Missouri House of Representatives. Resigned his post in the House to serve in WWI to take a post in military intelligence. Became a Major before resigning in 1919

c. Best known in his Senatorial career for passing the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act, which granted the Philippine Islands their independence in 1933. This act failed, but another very similar bill passed 1934

21. Joel Clark, or Bennet Champ Clark [1933 – 1945] (Democrat)

a. Politico and lawyer. His family is a very political family. His father (Clark Champ) was serving in the US House, and his sister Genevieve Clark Thomson was very active in the women’s suffrage movement

b. Known for being opposed to many New Deal programs, despite expressly identifying with liberalism and being associated with the conservative coalition of Congress. Isolationist on foreign policy. Once declared on the Senate floor that Emperor Hirohito should be hanged as a war criminal after the war’s end

22. Forrest C. Donnell [1945 – 1951] (Republican)

a. Lawyer and politico. Born in Quitman, MO to a middle-class family and was a child prodigy. Bucked his family’s staunch allegiance to the Southern elements of the Democratic Party to run as a Republican

b. First major victory in Missouri politics was winning the Governorship after a very contentious campaign and recount process. Oversaw the Constitutional Convention that drafted Missouri’s current constitution

c. Went to the Senate, identifying with the more conservative members of the Republican Party. Moderate on social issues, though was a known anti-Communist and soft McCarthyite. He was also an isolationist and unilateralist. Opposed the creation of NATO in 1949 and most foreign aid deals

23. Thomas Hennings Jr. [1957 – 1960] (Democrat)

a. Lawyer and politico from a wealthy St. Louis family. Received his law degree from Washington University after graduating from Cornell

b. Known as a liberal and anti-segregation Democrat during his time in the US House of Representatives. Advocated for anti-lynching bills, establishing a “Negro Federal Employment Office” will an all-black staff, and helped to establish an African American branch of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Poplar Bluff, MO

24. Edward Long [1960 – 1968] (Democrat)

a. Lawyer and politico. His first taste of politics came in 1945 when he was elected to the Missouri Senate and would later become the Lieutenant Governor of Missouri

b. Known for being liberal on civil liberty and civil rights while in the Senate. His voting record would go on to haunt him, as Life Magazine used his record to allege that he was in the pocket of the Teamsters Union. The unsubstantiated allegations would sink his reelection bid

25. Thomas Eagleton [1968 – 1987] (Democrat)

a. Lawyer, politico, and Vice-Presidential candidate. Born in St. Louis, MO and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Went to work for Anheuser-Busch’s legal department after graduating

b. Known for his conservationist, anti-interventionist in Vietnam, and socially conservative tenure as Senator. He supported the Clean Air and Water Acts and the Cooper-Church amendment. He was also involved with the unsuccessful attempt to pass the Human Life Amendment to the US Constitution

c. Was also involved with the McGovern campaign as the Vice-Presidential candidate. However, rumors about Eagleton’s bouts of depression eventually sank his bid in July of 1972 which may have been for the better. In April of 1972, McGovern was labeled by an anonymous Senator as the candidate of “amnesty, abortion, and acid” as reported by conservative journalist Robert Novak. Novak revealed that Eagleton was the source of that quote after Eagleton’s death in 2007

26. Christopher “Kit” Bond [1987 – 2011] (Republican)

a. Lawyer and politico from St. Louis. Graduated from Princeton University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia’s School of Law

b. Began his political career by winning two, non-consecutive terms in the Governor’s office. He governed more as a political moderate during his tenure, expressing support for the Equal Rights Amendment and rescinding the Mormon Extermination Order

c. In the Senate, Kit Bond continued to govern more as a center-right candidate. He consistently voted conservatively on social issues, supported free trade policies, and was a known conservationist

27. Roy Blunt [2011 – 2023] (Republican)

a. High school teacher and university professor, with his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in history. Born in Niangua, MO

b. Blunt would take numerous political positions in state and local Missouri politics, including as the Greene County clerk and Secretary of State. He also won his election to the US House of Representatives in 1997

c. Governed as a political conservative while in the Senate but liked to avoid controversy and open bomb throwing. Voted conservatively on social issues, is a known free trade advocate, and is highly interventionist in foreign policy

28. Eric Schmitt [2023 – Present] (Republican)

a. Lawyer and politico. Received his law degree from St. Louis University’s School of Law. Born in St. Louis, MO

b. Schmitt took many political positions at the state level before running for Senate in 2023. He was the Glendale, MO Alderman, and would later play a large role in state politics. He was a state Senator, the state Treasurer, and the Attorney General

c. So far, Schmitt has governed as a political, social, and economic conservative while in the Senate. He is known for strenuously enforcing a law that effectively banned abortion in Missouri after the Dobbs decision and has argued in an amicus brief in the Supreme Court that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 doesn’t protect homosexuals from employment discrimination

29. ???

This post is dedicated to half of Missouri’s long lineage of Senators. All will have their reigns listed, along with their main party affiliations and how long they kept their office for. I have done my best to link websites and information that may interest those who desire to research these men (and two woman) further. For those unaware of the requirements, becoming a US Senator is a hard-won achievement that requires an individual to meet certain criteria before their election. As mandated by the Constitution of the United States, a candidate for the Senate must be at least thirty years of age, a citizen of the United States for nine years before filing for candidacy, and a resident of his state. This list will be updated with each new winner of the seat until this blog is discontinued.

1. Thomas Hart Benton [1821 – 1851] (Democrat, Jacksonian, Democratic-Republican)

a. Prominent St. Louis lawyer and political leader, born in Hillsborough, North Carlina in 1782

b. Known associate and frenemy of President Andrew Jackson, whom Benton dueled and shot in a brawl in Tennessee. Would go on to reconcile with Jackson and help found the Democratic Party

c. Strong supporter of hard money policies (hence his nickname “Old Bullion”) and a vocal opponent against the spread of slavery to the Western US

2. Henry S. Geyer [1851 – 1857] (Whig)

a. Prominent St. Louis lawyer, known for being Missouri’s most talented lawyer

b. Worked to compile Missouri territorial laws into a compendium (“Geyer’s Digest”) in the state legislature, and laid the foundations of Missouri’s public education system including the founding of modern Mizzou college (University of Central Missouri)

c. Ardent supporter of slavery, the Southern cause, and Henry Clay’s American System

3. Trusten Polk [1857 – 1862] (Democrat)

a. Successful St. Louis lawyer known for his strong religious convictions and his involvement in the St. Louis temperance movement

b. Worked alongside Henry Geyer to establish Missouri’s state university system while in the state legislature

c. Known for his vocal support of hard currency, slavery, and the Southern cause while embracing the agrarian factions in the Democratic Party, and beating former Senator Benton in a contentious three-way race

4. John B. Henderson [1862 – 1869] (Unionist, Radical Unionist, Emancipationist, Republican)

a. From Pike County and known for his humor. Once stirred the anger of the local Whigs after receiving the Democratic nomination to the State House of Representatives because he was “too young and too poor”

b. Ardent Unionist and in favor of gradual emancipation in Congress, he sponsored one of three versions of a Constitutional amendment that would become the Thirteenth Amendment

5. Carl Schurz [1869 – 1875] (Republican, Liberal Republican)

a. Born in Liblar (Erfstadt), Germany and participated with many other college students in the German Revolutions of 1848. Narrowly escaped capture by the German government and moved to the United States in 1852 after escaping to Paris

b. Appointed by Lincoln to a Brigadier Generalship in the Union Army during the Civil War and found initial military success, but his troops sucked so bad at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg that his reputation was permanently scarred

c. Very influential during his Senatorial term because he served as a semi-official spokesperson for German immigrant populations. Known for criticizing the Grant administration and the Radical Republicans for rampant corruption

6. Francis Cockrell [1875 – 1905] (Democrat)

a. Prominent lawyer from Warrensburg, Missouri.

b. Enlisted in the Missouri State Guard as a captain upon the outbreak of the Civil War in 1862. Commanded a brigade in the Vicksburg Campaign and distinguished himself in the Battle of Champion Hill and the Battle of the Big Black River

c. Part of the “Big Four” of the post-bellum Missouri Democratic Party, which includes Thomas Crittenden, John Philips, and George Graham Vest

7. William Warner [1905 – 1911] (Republican)

a. Born in Wisconsin, he moved to Kansas City where he served as city attorney in 1867

b. Served in the Senate with little distinction, and was the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Missouri River and its Tributaries

8. James A. Reed [1911 – 1929] (Democrat)

a. Born in Ohio and an accomplished lawyer. Moved from Cedar Rapids to Kansas City in 1887 to practice law and find new opportunities

b. Became deeply embedded in the Pendergast political machine after meeting James Pendergast at a meeting of the American Protective Association. Served as a Jackson County Councilor and Kansas City mayor before winning a seat in the Senate

c. Staunch supporter of states’ rights, limited government, and individual liberty. Essential player in sinking Woodrow Wilson’s attempt to create the Leage of Nations after WWI

9. Roscoe C. Patterson [1929 – 1935] (Republican)

a. Born in Springfield, Missouri and a local lawyer

b. Served unremarkably in the Senate during his term. Served as the chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining. Lost reelection thanks to the unpopularity of Republican economic policy during the Great Depression

10. Harry S. Truman [1935 – 1945] (Democrat)

a. Born in Lamar, Missouri, and worked as a farmer. Served in WWI in the Missouri National guard as an artilleryman

b. Thought to be embedded deeply in the Pendergast political machine but he maintained enough distance between himself and the more corrupt activities of the machine to keep his political career intact when the machine was destroyed

c. Became President of the United States in 1945 after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. Opposed isolationism, corporate greed, Wall Street speculators, and other monied special interests whom he viewed as having too much influence in national politics

11. Frank P. Briggs [1945 – 1947] (Democrat)

a. Born in Armstrong, Missouri and became active in Macon, Missouri as the owner of the Macon Chronicle-Herald

b. Appointed to finish the term of Harry Truman by Missouri Governor Phil Donnelly because Briggs served as his gubernatorial campaign manager

12. James P. Kem [1947 – 1953] (Republican)

a. Born in Macon, Missouri and became a practicing lawyer and business tycoon in Kansas City, Missouri

b. Most known as a very caustic critic of the Truman administration and as a bellicose crusader against the political machines in Missouri. Labeled an isolationist by the press and the Truman administration in return because of his opposition to foreign aid and the Marshall Plan

13. Stuart Symington [1953 – 1976] (Democrat)

a. Born in Amherst, MA and moved to Missouri to accept the presidency of the Merson Electric Company in St. Louis, MO in 1938

b. Served with distinction in the US Army during WWI and was later appointed to the Surplus Property Board (1945), administrator of the Property Administration (1945 - 1946), and the Assistant Secretary of War for Air (1946 - 1947) by President Truman

c. Served with distinction in the US Senate as a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee and was an advocate of a strong national defense. However, this didn’t stop him from becoming very critical of US involvement in Vietnam. Was also one of Joseph McCarthy’s most vocal opponents. McCarthy nicknamed Symington “Sanctimonious Stu”.

14. John Danforth [1976 – 1995] (Republican)

a. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he has served in numerous political positions at the state and federal level for both Democratic and Republican administrations. Also known as a prominent lawyer and priest for the Episcopal Church

b. Known for portraying himself as a political moderate but consistently voting with the right wing of his party. Known for viewing party affiliation in a very utilitarian way

c. Post Senate achievements include leading the investigation of the FBI’s conduct at Waco, and releasing the “Danforth Report” upon the conclusion of the investigation, was on the GOP shortlist for Vice Presidential candidates in the 2000 election, and presided over the funeral of President Reagan at the Washington National Cathedral

15. John Ashcroft [1995 – 2001] (Republican)

a. Born in Chicago before moving to Willard, Missouri, and received his J.D. from the University of Chicago. Served as the Missouri state Auditor and Governor before his election to the US Senate.

b. Known in the Senate for opposing the Clinton administration’s Clipper encryption restrictions, but is most known for being the first and only US Senator to lose his election to a deceased candidate

16. Jean Carnahan [2001 – 2002] (Democrat)

a. Born in Washington D.C., but moved to Rolla, Missouri after marrying Mel Carnahan in 1954. Played an active role in her husband’s political ambitions by serving as a speechwriter and managing all 20 of Mel Carnahan’s political campaigns

b. Served in the Senate in the place of her husband when he and their son died in a freak plane accident on the campaign trail.

17. Jim Talent [2002 – 2007] (Republican)

a. Born in Des Peres, Missouri and earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago. Began his political career in the Missouri House of Representatives before he was elected to Congress

b. Elected to finish Mel Carnahan’s term as Senator after the special election in which Jean Carnahan also ran. Served on the Senate Armed Services Committee

c. Talent was defeated in the 2006 Senate election by former state Auditor Claire McCaskill

18. Claire McCaskill [2007 – 2019] (Democrat)

a. Born in Rolla, Missouri and received her J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law. Comes from a politically active family in Rolla, and began her political career with an election to the Missouri House of Representatives in a Kansas City district

b. Elected to the US Senate after a stint as Missouri’s State Auditor, she is known for being a moderate Senator on most questions. She routinely voted for and against both GOP and Democratic priorities

19. Josh Hawley [2019 – Present] (Republican)

a. Born in Springdale, Arkansas and received his J.D. from the Yale School of Law. Moved to Lexington, Missouri in 1981.

b. Started his political career as the Attorney General of Missouri before jumping to the Senate

c. Known for being a deeply religious social conservative and an ally of President Donald Trump, but he has repeatedly courted controversy both as Attorney General and as Senator

20. ???

I expected more from the America 250 celebrations. This is not to say that America 250 has not been visible or active in my local community. The America 250 committee and the events it has been organizing have been very apparent in my local newspaper. My Bishop recently joined members of the city government in commemorating a new America 250 statue in the town square. Members of the community have been planting Liberty Trees everywhere around town over the last month. The local chapters of the Sons of American Revolution and the Sons of Union Veterans plan on hosting a historical exhibit on Independence Day for all the children, complete with Civil War relics and old battle flags.

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These are all excellent developments in my local community, and I love that my Midwestern town still has the required patriotism and will to organize these things. Despite the prevailing trends of the last couple of decades, particularly among Democrats, my little section of the country still feels that classic American pride the Midwest and the South are well known for. However, from all that I can learn from talking with the older members of my family, friends, and colleagues at work, no one is all that excited about the America 250 celebrations. Many of the people I know distinctly remember that America’s Bicentennial celebrations was a massive deal. From what they tell me, missing the Bicentennial celebrations were thought to be a deep shame. You missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity to venerate the country, its founding, and its history.

That sense of FOMO, that the citizenry must attend the celebrations, is distinctly not present with America 250. Many on the Online Right who are old enough to remember the Bicentennial, or know people who were there, have noted this. I certainly don’t feel a need to join in with the America 250 celebrations. This is not to say that I am feeling unpatriotic or shunning America 250 to make a political point. I just do not feel like this year is any different to last year. I know that the celebrations are occurring in the background of my mind, but they have always felt like a neat sideshow I could attend if I had the time or interest. I feel there is no requirement to attend anything my local community organizes.

This is a bittersweet situation, if you ask me. The sweetness of hope and remembrance mixes with the vinegar of despair, instability, and uncertainty. I think many people have recognized that the United States has deeply seated problems which are beginning to bear fruit in all areas of our lives. Americans simply do not feel that the United States is a great country because of all the problems currently besieging it. More wars in the Middle East, and all that comes with that. The cost of living has shot through the roof in the last couple of years. Private and public debts are at all-time highs, with no sign of relief anytime in the future. Our politics are as caustic and divisive as ever, with particularly unpatriotic people being elected in many local elections back in April. Are those same people going to perform an about-face to celebrate America’s 250^th birthday? Probably not. If they do participate in the celebrations, I doubt their presence will be due to suppressed patriotism and more because the political consequences of being noticeably absent are far more concerning to them.

However, I do not like being a doomer. There is also much to celebrate despite everything wrong in the world. America is still one of the best countries in the world in my opinion. I would never dream of moving to Canada, Mexico, Europe, or any other place because my roots go too deep in this country and my affections for it are too strong. My ancestors came to the future colonies on a ship from the Netherlands in the 1600s. We settled in New York, then New Amsterdam, and moved to Missouri during the War of 1812. My ancestors have fought and died for this county. You can find my family on military rosters from the French and Indian War through WWII, including on both sides of the Civil War. We have quietly lived our lives in Middle America for generations, tending to our little community and enjoying the rights and freedoms bought by the blood of those who came before.

I am proud to inherit this legacy from my ancestors and to enjoy the fruits of peace many of them never got to see, even if I have developed reservations in recent years about the mode of government they chose for themselves and their posterity. Even now, despite my souring on democracy and everything that mode of government entails, I still find myself captivated by wonder at the story of the Revolution and the stories of the founding fathers. How can one not feel such awe learning about the great men from the past? You would have to be truly soulless (or demoralized) to not feel some sort of fondness for what they did. To remember those men did everything for us, their posterity, is also astonishing. Everything they fought and died for is now mine, warts and beauty and everything else associated with that. To throw such a thing of beauty away seems foolish and myopic to me.

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Independence Day has always been a day of remembrance, but this year I think it is a good idea to remember not just the founding documents and their writers but also the people who made this country possible and the joy of living with family and friends beside us. I, for one, will be reading over the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. If I have time, I may even read the Articles of Confederation. Who knows! I do not know how much time I will have between firework shows, barbeques with the family, and trying not to get heatstroke in the 100 ℉ weather Missouri is predicted to get this coming weekend. I think I will make a reading of the founding documents a yearly tradition from this Independence Day forward. Another cool idea would be to quiz your elders to see what your family was doing during the War of Independence. Learn some family history while you are at it.

Happy Independence Day, everyone. May God bless you and your families.

It is no secret amongst our world that the relationship prospects for young men are poor. We do not live in a world that desires stable marriages or the infrastructure to support them. For those trapped in seemingly perpetual and unwilling singleness, I would like offer a word of encouragement from the Holy Scriptures as it was given to me. In Gospel of Matthew, Christ’s strong teachings on the inadmissibility of divorce is met by shock and horror from his disciples:

The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry (Matthew 19).

This may seem counterintuitive to apply to the current trouble of finding marriage, but I think we ought to account for the fact that what the disciples are reacting to is the prospect of being trapped in a dysfunctional marriage. That, I think, is actually quite similar to the position a lot of young men find themselves in: not free of the desire for marriage, but not married either, trapped in a limbo. The disciples, understandably, would rather forgo marriage at all than be held captive in such a position of agony. Our Lord responds:

But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it (Matthew 19).

First, and importantly, our Lord understands that this is a hard saying. He is gentle and lowly of heart (Matt. 11:29) and knows what it is like to be weak with us (Heb. 4:15). God does not hurl moral dictates from on high but suffers with us in our sorrow. That alone is comfort for us, but he continues by speaking of three kinds of eunuchs. Eunuchs were, of course, court officials and servants who had been castrated, often at birth. Because they could not have children, they were especially trusted by eastern Kings to manage their affairs. However, in ancient Israel, eunuchs were forbidden from entering into the assembly of God (Deut. 23:1).

This makes it all the more conspicuous that Christ lays out a taxonomy of eunuchs to elucidate his hard saying: first, those born eunuchs, likely those men who are infertile, or born with some sort of intersex condition that prohibits them from having children. Second, those made eunuchs by men, the familiar category of which we just spoke. Third though, those who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. I believe Christ is clearly referring to those who, for the sake of obeying Christ out of love, forgo immoral sexual relations to wait for proper relations that will never come.

This is the state of many young men among us: forgoing the carnal pleasures of the world to wait for a marriage long-awaited but never arriving. Suffering the temptations of pornography, hook-up culture, and other means of coping with the pain of loneliness, yet knowing that they cannot comfort themselves as the world does for their love of Christ, our savior. I do not mean to suggest that only the one who never stumbles is a eunuch for the Kingdom, for indeed we will stumble. For, as the Apostle Paul writes in the Spirit:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me (Romans 9).

To desire what is loving to God, yet to fail to carry it out on account of the flesh is the suffering of a eunuch for the Kingdom of Heaven. Know that Christ, while sinless, is there with you in your suffering. The eunuch is an outcast, forbidden an inheritance, outside of the assembly. So why does Christ then refer to those who suffer for the sake of the Kingdom as eunuchs? The Prophet Isaiah pronounces:

…and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”
For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off (Isaiah 56).

I think our Lord had this passage in mind when giving his hard saying: those who eunuchs beloved of the Lord will receive vindication in their struggles: a monument and a name, better than sons and daughters. Here I do not mean to shunt aside the pain and suffering of many young men in this position though: Christ calls this a hard saying because it is painful. Knowing that you store up treasures in heaven does not ease the earthly pain. But this is my word of encouragement to those suffering in singleness: God hears you, God has a special regard for you, and God suffers alongside you. Your struggles are not meaningless, and when you have run the race, God will vindicate you. Look to your savior Jesus Christ, knowing that it is in his completed work that you can trust. No matter how many people cruelly dismiss your struggles, no matter how many boomers tell you to “git gud”, God knows your heart. I want to close with Christ’s reassurances from Matthew:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11).”

The autumn of 1621 must have been a wonderous time for the Puritans. Their joy must only compare to their devastating suffering. They came the previous year, looking to escape the corrupting influence of Dutch secular society, only to land in a desolate wasteland in the dead of winter. As winter progressed, more than half their number wasted away and starved. They had no opportunity to grow food to store for the winter, and their shipborne supplies can only last so long after a two-month journey from Europe.

Spring would have undoubtably been the worst of the starving season for the Puritans. Their meager supplies would have long run out by the time the first green shoots of Spring began to breach the soil. The despair during that season must’ve been overpowering. Dejected mothers watched their children turn into ghosts from hunger. Fathers watched in desperation as their wives withered from ceaseless work and caring for their children. Wives watched hopelessly as their husbands braved the wilderness to hunt at dawn, only to return empty-handed at dusk. Everyone had to bury friends and family. The rows of crosses only seemed to grow more numerous with each passing day.

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I wonder how many regretted their departure from comfortable, relatively safe Holland during those months. They must’ve known the voyage to save their souls from the permissiveness of Holland’s secular society was a gamble at best. They knew the New World’s wilderness would be forbidding and largely unconquered, yet their faith in God pushed them forward to do something hard yet rewarding. And no matter how mean and cruel the conditions were that first winter, I bet many felt in retrospect that the new freedom they now possessed was worth the suffering on the Mayflower and the starvation of that first winter.

I find myself sympathizing with the Puritans more closely this year than I have in years past. Modern life feels like a forbidding wilderness to navigate, full of dangers and unknowns if you aren’t careful. Blatant corruption and overt decline rule the day, despite what we tell ourselves. The good is often devoured whole by what is convenient or what is immediately useful. We are watching the ending of one, civilized age and the birth of what promises to be a barbaric one. It’s a scary thought. The comforting rhythms and routines of yesteryear may not work anymore.

While we must grieve for that ending time, I believe the coming age will be an exciting one full of promise for those willing to brave the dangers and put everything on the line for something greater. The Puritans believed God would provide for their needs and that he would never leave them. God did exactly that, despite the hemming, hawing, “contextualizing”, and brazen lying academia does about the Thanksgiving story nowadays. He provided the Puritans with the help and camaraderie they desperately needed in their plight in the form of a charitable hand, extended in friendship, from the Indians who themselves were experiencing the ravages of famine and plague. Though the peace of that first Thanksgiving didn’t last, it lasted a lot longer than academia would like to give it credit for. Fifty-four years of peace is nothing to scoff at.

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The Thanksgiving story, with all its myths and truth, strikes a chord with many because it speaks to something fundamental about the promises of America and her nature as a country. America is a big place, full of dangers and miracles. You never know what opportunities will arise, and you may find new friends and unlikely allies in places you never thought of. The future is still full of promise for America, though it may not be as economically prosperous, peaceful, and culturally cohesive as it was in the past.

Thank God for his blessings upon your life this year. All of us have much to be thankful for despite our sufferings this year. Turn off the cable news for the day and let the cold winds of civilizational winter howl against the shutters. Let the warmth of the hearth, of family and friends gathered around, of good food and abundant turkey (regardless of how dry), fill the soul and stomach. There is much to be thankful for, even as the blizzard comes roaring in.

The Mayflower Compact Agreement between the Settlers at New Plymouth, 1620

In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal Subjects of our dread sovereign Lord King James, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith, and honor of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the Northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one another, covenant, and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11. of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini 1620.

The ever-controversial question of race and Christianity has once again reared its head, this week on account of the debate between Corey Mahler and James White. I will not belabor an introduction to either figure, but lay out what I find is at stake here: Corey Mahler’s central argument that Africans cannot be sanctified in a regular situation to the same degree as Europeans on account of their genetics, and especially as manifested in IQ. This article will not endeavor to answer the question of race realism, this author and the reader are free to believe as they please on the question. Nevertheless, I think Corey Mahler’s argument has a fundamental Scriptural deficiency, and indeed one that renders any consideration of the reality of race realism irrelevant: there is no Scriptural reason to suppose that a low IQ leads to one being more sinful than high IQ.

Now, some may recoil at this premise. It is obvious that low IQ or low intelligence at minimum correlates with all sorts of visible sins: low impulse control and all its attendant sins, including but not limited to adultery, violence, financial incontinence, delusions of grandeur, paranoia, stubbornness, so on, so forth. But, consider one of the main themes of the Gospels: the sinfulness of the Pharisees. Matthew the Evangelist records Christ as saying

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6).

Or, further, bring to mind the Evangelist on the Scribes:

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it” (Matthew 23).

Now, it seems completely obvious that the Scribes and the Pharisees were, generally speaking, from better stock than the poor and downtrodden that Christ generally associated with1. The demands placed on the Pharisees and Scribes as religious leaders would obviously select for a higher IQ in general. And, taking the words of our Lord, it seems to be exactly the qualities that allowed them a commendable role in civil society that also allowed them to practice the mental and spiritual duplicity Christ condemns them for. Put in other words, their performative religiosity was tied to their capabilities as leaders.2 Indeed, it was the creativity of the Scribes that allowed them to come up with the sort of category distinctions to render an oath by the altar “nothing” but an oath by the gold of the temple effectual. These sins are grave and condemned by Christ specifically because they can be mistaken for righteousness both by civil society and even the sinner. Consider as well an episode recounted by the Evangelist Mark:

And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2).

Now, from elsewhere in the Scriptures, there can be no uncertainty that the Pharisees themselves were sick, and indeed in need of a physician. Yet, they remained incapable of understanding their own grave sin, while the tax collectors and sinners were aware of their wretchedness.3 Returning to the example of the Temple Oaths, it was indeed their own mental capability that allowed them to reason around their sins and believe themselves righteous. Put once again, in the Gospels Christ continually condemns the Pharisees and Scribes for grave sin specifically enabled by their intelligence.

Scripture also contains dire warnings against sins seemingly specific to the Wealthy and Intelligent. Expressed countless times in the Psalms, Mary also weaves it into her song of praise in the Gospel of Luke:

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty (Luke 1).

Now, I think few could seriously contest that wealth is generally correlated with IQ or intelligence, in the age of the Gospels as now. Despite that, we find in Scripture continual warnings that the Wealthy are in specific danger: wealth has a particularly alluring quality, one cannot serve God and Mammon.4 As with the wealthy, the Epistle to Titus warns that the scholar and academic ought not become too concerned with “foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law” (Titus 3:9). The Epistle to the Colossians advises believers to “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:9). These are clearly pitfalls far more typical of the intelligent than the unintelligent.

Of what application are these verses to Mahler and White’s debate? Simply put, I challenge Mahler’s premise that unintelligence leads to greater sinfulness on Scriptural grounds. Intelligence certainly conditions what kind of sin one is prone to, most of these verses would make very little sense otherwise. And, furthermore, when thinking of only the world, I would much rather live in a society of Pharisees and Scribes than of Tax Collectors and Prostitutes.5 Nevertheless, in terms of our walk before God, both the sin of the Scribe and the Brigand are deep impediments. Yet, Scripture seems to imply that the sins of the Scribes are even worse, because they attempt a justification of their sin by perverting God’s Law. That vice is one far more available to the intelligent than the unintelligent, just as the unintelligent are far more prone to sins of indigression.

This issue seems critical not only in that the Church ought to let itself conform its views to Scripture, but also that we have a lucid view of our own sin. On average, I imagine most who would find their way to a debate on race, IQ, and Christianity would be of above average intelligence, especially in an increasingly illiterate society. It does ourselves no good to emphasize the sins of the poor and forget the ways in which we sin. Indeed, one imagines this was the deepest substratum of the Pharisees’ sin: they imagined that because they were not the tax collector and the prostitute, they must be righteous. I see very little danger that I might become a tax collector or a prostitute, but I do see much danger of becoming a Pharisee. We ought not believe we have been preserved from extreme sinfulness merely on account of our God-given intelligence. All are in need of a physician.

(As a final remark, both Conservative Calvinist and Tsar of Winter’s Ashes lent their eyes to this essay and edited it, and their contribution in this regard is deeply appreciated.)

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Mark 16:6 [6] And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. (ESV)1

Greetings to the readers of Bellum Nostrae and a hearty welcome to newcomers! I am Conservative Calvinist, and I am joined by a good friend and fellow member of the B.N. publication, Numa, who is serving the role of contributor and editor on this short essay. This is the first of many articles I hope to share with you all. I do not purport to be an expert, but I am rather a layman enjoyer of theological matters and discussion. In this piece, a Protestant defense of celebrating Easter will be given. I was prompted to write on this issue from hearing fellow Christians attack celebrations of this nature, as well as persistent online musings claiming how paganism has seeped into the Church through such celebrations. I hope to give an overview of these critiques and provide a biblical defense of the tradition of Easter in response.

Easter Defined

First, we must start with what the common understanding of Easter is. Laid out in the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Easter, principal festival of the Christian church, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion” 2 Another trusted source, the New Oxford Dictionary defines Easter as, “The most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and held (in the Western Church) between March 21 and April 25, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.”3 While these definitions are somewhat rigid, we get a simple and clear understanding of Easter. Easter is defined as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection. It is with this understanding that we can move to the debate on whether the practice is Christian and should be celebrated by Christians.

What We Believe

Some may be asking, “Well, what is a Christian and what do they believe?” Simply, Christians can be defined by what they profess as their faith and beliefs. Below are excerpts of the historic creeds of the Christian faith, which espouse what Christians confess about the resurrection of Christ:

Apostle’s Creed

“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”4

Athanasian Creed

“He suffered for our salvation;
he descended to hell;
he arose from the dead;
he ascended to heaven;
he is seated at the Father's right hand;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”5

Nicene Creed

“For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.”6

These historical expressions of the faith perfectly lay out what we Christians believe about the resurrection, which Easter celebrates. This is the focal point of God’s redemptive history, that through the Son’s sacrifice and resurrection, death was conquered and humanity was freed from the curse of sin.

What Easter Is Not

Although the holiday has been co-opted by non-Christians and other secular festivities, i.e. the Easter Bunny, egg hunts, and egg painting, there are good reasons for this holiday to be celebrated apart from hedonistic desires. The biggest standpoint is that Easter symbolizes the Gospel. As a celebration, it praises God’s saving grace and mercy for the sinner through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His ultimate resurrection from the grave. Of course, Easter celebrations can become an idol or might be something secularized. This doesn’t change the Church’s orthodox tradition of celebrating after Good Friday, that Christ rose again on the third day. THIS is Easter. That Christ conquered death on the cross, rose again, fulfilled the Law, and freed us from the bondage of sin.

1 Corinthians 15:55 [55] “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (ESV)7

Objections to Easter considered

Etymology and Paganism

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Paganism. For starters, the goddess Ishtar. While argued that the etymological origins of the word Easter come from this Babylonian goddess, this has been successfully disputed and put to rest by Christian and secular scholars across the board. This so-called pagan influence idea was put forward by Alexander Hislop in his book The Two Babylons.8 It’s a case study for bad historical research and confusion about paganism. While some people might still believe in this conspiracy, it’s patently false and ignorant. It is possible that the English word came from an Anglo-Saxon word reminiscent of a pagan god and springtime festivals, but even the evidence of St. Bede provides is spurious and is rejected by modern scholars.9 While the possibility of the word Easter having pagan roots is alarming to some, it is clear Christians are not celebrating pagan traditions, but rather celebrate the Resurrection during the Springtime. A great scriptural point that illustrates this is 1 Corinthians Chapter 8, in which Paul explains that eating food prepared for idols, whether knowingly or unknowingly, is not intrinsically sinful, as there is but one God.10 Just as celebrating Easter, which may have distant connections to pagan traditions, is not sinful, as there is one God who sent His Son to die, and on the third day He rose again. That is what is being celebrated. And as Paul says, if these celebrations would cause your brother to stumble, you should refrain from them. I would say that applies to excessive celebration, and one in which the lines are blurred between cultural celebration and religious celebration.

The Early Church

There is irrefutable proof that Easter was practiced as early as the 2nd century, something amazingly within 100 years after Christ’s Ascension into heaven, which comes from a homily by Melito of Sardis.11 We also see that during the First Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.), the date on which Easter is to be celebrated is debated, establishing the practice as common at the time and worthy of discussion.12 What constitutes correct teaching and practice can be debated, but the tradition of celebrating Christ’s Resurrection on a specific day can’t be argued. Christians have historically celebrated Easter, or as it was referred to in Latin and Greek, Pascha, as it is today by the Eastern Church.

The Puritans didn’t celebrate it

Historically, post-reformation, there have been Christian denominations and sects (many in the Protestant tradition) that have resisted celebrating, namely Easter and Christmas, as well as feasts and other holy days. While I will not take the time to support or defend the latter, the celebration of Easter has been criticized by those calling themselves Christian. One of those groups, which in many ways I look up to and have learned much from, is the Puritans. While having varied beliefs, in Puritan England and Massachusetts, the celebration of Christmas, Easter, and other feasts and saints’ days was banned in June of 1647.13 This was because of the belief that these days took away from the Sunday service and Gospel message as well as resembling Catholic practices, which were rejected. It’s logical that criticism of holy days and celebrations directly followed the fervor of the Reformation. The English reformers saw a need to separate themselves from the Roman church, pointing to the Gospel and using Scripture as the sole source of instruction for the Christian life. Yet, I think in contemporary times were we have had such a moratorium on certain Papist practices in Protestant churches, there should not be as much worry about Easter being a distraction inside the church, insomuch as it doesn’t become so extravagant and secular as there is no reminder, through scripture, of Christ’s resurrection. Now I have personally observed churches where it’s hard to discern exactly why Easter is being celebrated, or secular people celebrating an “Easter” outside of Church, but this is simply a cultural Christianity that is lacking a theological backbone. Frankly, many of these “churches” are more concerned with getting people in the door to make money rather than preaching the word of God. The Puritans’ critiques hold weight, but as a practice that can be traced back to the 2nd Century, and most likely something that the Church has always celebrated, it would be irresponsible for Christians to abandon Easter altogether, thereby abandoning our heritage. Anything can become a distraction if you let it, but should that stop Christians from celebrating the Resurrection and using it as a yearly reminder to ourselves and as a teaching to the mission field or a new convert? Of course not! Colossians 2:16-17 strongly supports Christian liberty regarding Jewish Holy Days, which can easily be applied to more contemporary celebrations, or historically to the Church’s celebrations. If coupled with a service that preaches the resurrection message, Easter Sunday can be both a beautiful reminder and celebration, with moderation in mind.

Easter Today

It might seem daunting to the modern Christian to resist more secular celebrations of Easter. We are called to be in this world but not of it, yet we as Christians live in the world and can use Easter as a way to spread the Gospel, in which Easter is not a Christ-less one, but rather one full of the good news contained in the Gospels. Now while I would caution the Christian who lets their children partake in certain more contemporary secular “celebrations'“ of the season, there is no harm done to your child in seeing the Easter bunny or going on an egg hunt, as long as its clear that it is a cultural celebration rather than a Christian one. Nor is it wrong to have one or two Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs or a Cadbury Bunny during Springtime, as long as it’s done in moderation and the Christian is cognizant that is not central part of the Christian tradition of Easter celebration, but rather a corporate ploy to sell more chocolate to the consumer. There is no need to be Puritanical and ban all good fun and simple pleasures. While I think it is important for the Church to remember the Resurrection every day, I think it would be a travesty for the church not to celebrate yearly as well.

What Easter means to us as Christians

To Christians, Easter stands as the celebration of the single most important moment in history, aside from the birth of Christ, where our Lord took up the cross and died for the sins of the world, rising on the third day, having paid for the sins of those who believe as God’s justice demands. This is the Gospel, distilled to its most central point. This means that Christ has paid our debt, which we had no hope in paying with our works, which are but rags compared to the sinless nature of God and His holiness. A God who is the most high, revealed to us as Holy, Holy, Holy!14 We stand before God on the Judgment Day, appearing sinless due to Christ’s good work. As Paul reminds us, the Christian faith hinges on the validity of the Resurrection.

A Factory of Idols

As the Reformer John Calvin famously said, “The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.”15 Anything and everything under the sun can and will be made into something that will be worshiped or obsessed over by mankind. So this is a fair warning to Christians: we must be careful how we celebrate Easter. If the celebration points us to its Gospel centered message and reminds us of our Savior's life, death, and resurrection, we are on track. If the celebration of Easter becomes something different entirely, one in which the fun in celebration leads to excess and obsession, that’s where we must draw the line. Easter Sunday should be a theological tool for the Church to remind us of Christ’s resurrection and that we, as sinners, should rejoice in the good news. If resisting the celebrations in the Church and as Christians becomes a point of obsession, it very well could be a point of pride. There are things we can all be prideful of, and it is then that we should reexamine our opinions, testing if they are biblically held and supported. If we are obstinate for the sake of being so, this goes against reason.

Takeaway

In conclusion, Easter IS a Christian celebration of the good news of Christ conquering the grave and defeating death. Christians, be joyful, and as Paul tells us, “hold fast” to this truth and rejoice!16 Join me in celebrating the Resurrection of our Savior and worshiping the living God this Easter Sunday!

Isaiah 53:5 [5] But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV)17

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Near the Gravestone by Seneca

"As the jovial Sun flies from oncoming night
I sit near the gravestone by candlelight.
The bloodstained leaves of onrushing Autumn rustle
As a city ignores the grave and continues its bustle.

I pity the poor fools who refuse to stop and look,
To remember what the ravages of time took.
All they see is a cracked and weathered stone,
A monument to a past they would rather forget and disown.

They refuse to see the blood beneath their feet,
And hear the crunch of bones underneath the street.
They believe civilization comes unbidden and without price,
A rich inheritance they can spend on dice and other vice.
As the jovial Sun embraces oncoming night
I sit near the gravestone by dark candlelight.
The bloodstained leaves of onrushing Autumn finally fall
To Winter’s chill wind and a Church bell’s funeral call.
On the gravestone, an ancient decided long ago to scrawl
A message of hope, sweet and small:
‘Patient my soul waits, as ever watchman 
That looked for the day.'"

Halloween, and fall in general, is supposed to be a time of contemplation and reflection for the Catholic Church. The season itself prompts the faithful to reflect on our lives and the previous year. We see visible signs of change every day as we drive to work or worship in Church. The leaves are changing color and are falling off the trees as a reminder of our frailty and transience. Death reminds us of our mortality as Autumn’s warmth fades and is replaced with Winter’s chill breeze. The final harvest has been reaped and stored away, and we pray that what we’ve preserved from Summer’s dying breath is enough to stave off winter’s privations. Great symbols of fertility and life mix with symbols of decay and the coming death that awaits us all at the end of our lives.

The Church has recognized the sublime season of reflection Autumn provides, and for centuries has declared the Triduum of Allhallowstide as days of solemn celebrations at the end of October. Celebrations begin on the evening of October 31^st with All Hallows Eve, or Halloween as we call it. The faithful gather in their homes to share a communal meal and a night of laughter and joy. Traditionally, children dress up as their favorite Saints and prank one another for jokes and fun. Mockery of evil and superstition was also fair game, which is why we dress up as demons, vampires, and witches while carving jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins. The evil of the world has no power over us since Christ has won and God’s Kingdom is firmly in control. And since evil has no power over us, the charms and wards the ancients carved from pumpkins to keep evil at bay also have no power.

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November 1^st is All Saints Day, dedicated to the worship of God and the veneration of His Saints both canonized and those who’ve obtained the Beatific Vision. We recognize the Saints for the work they’ve done in God’s service on Earth and remember the souls of our dead. Visiting family plots in the local graveyard is common. We will gather again with our communities to eat communal meals and remember our family and friends who have died. Mass attendance is also mandatory on All Saints Day because the holiday is a solemnity, a feast day of holy importance. As we venerate the Saints, pray for our families and friends, and worship God we are also called to reflect upon our own lives and failings. We recognize that we all sin, and that we all have work to do in our lives to become more like Christ and his Saints.

Finally, November 2^nd is All Souls Day which is devoted to all the souls in Purgatory. We pray for these souls on this day so they can burn away the remainder of their sin and join all the Saints in the Beatific Vision. Many Catholics will continue the practices from All Saints Day into All Souls Day. We will offer Masses to the dead so that they may be welcomed into Heaven sooner. We visit the graves of our families and friends in remembrance of them and care for their monuments. Communal meals with other faithful and our families are also common, as is personal prayer for the souls of the faithful departed.

My family has always celebrated Halloween, but it wasn’t until recently that I really began to appreciate the broader scope of Church teaching surrounding the Triduum. Much of the surrounding context regarding the Triduum was not taught well to me as a child, and I only fully understood the theology and history as I dove more fully into my faith as a high schooler and college student. I suspect most Catholics today have a similar story, which is more evidence for a catastrophic collapse of Catholic catechesis in the latter half of the 20^th century.

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The damage isn’t confined to the Catholic Church either. Western society, too, has almost entirely forgotten what Halloween used to signify. Secular society has buried Halloween underneath a thousand feet of candy wrappers, disposable costumes, and carved pumpkins in a kitschification rivalling Christmas. The trappings surrounding the Triduum of Allhallowstide used to hold deep meaning for everyone participating in the festivities. The candy, costumes, and jack-o-lanterns served a purpose: To remind all involved old that death is never as far away as we’d like. Secular society has, predictably, made an idol out of the trappings of Halloween in the absence of True Religion.

 Many reasons could be given why Halloween has morphed into the over-commercialized abomination it currently exists as, but I want to focus on one idea: Western society wanted to divorce itself from history and, ultimately, attempt to banish death from our lives. History and death are inextricably intertwined. It has been said that all societies stand upon a mountain of bones, but I don’t think anyone spiritually understands what that means. All history is shaped by death. The great wars of the past obviously killed many people, but so did the plagues, religious unrest, atrocities, and failed political intrigues. All the great eras and events of history needed someone to die to either start, shape, or end the event in question. Even Christianity cannot escape death’s touch. The central mystery of our faith is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, though we now understand that death doesn’t have the final say over our fates anymore.

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Death touches us all. History, politics, religion, philosophy, science, art and all other aspects of life are shaped by death. I can’t help but feel that’s why the political Left wish to destroy our collective history and denigrate our ancestors as inferior people: They are terrified of death. Death is incomprehensible to them, regardless of how death occurs. They have no frame of reference for death because they’re largely materialists, or they live solely for the present. Progressives cannot accept death, so they deny it. Anyone who has inflicted death, whether directly or otherwise, automatically becomes evil because that person has done the unthinkable. This is why they hate white people and our ancestors. We conquered the globe and explored all its landmasses, but millions died as a result. This is also why the guilt is collectively shoved onto us, the great-great-great-times-1000 grandchildren of those explorers who have no connection to those deaths. The sins committed by our ancestors were so irredeemably evil in the eyes of Progressives that whites cannot ever be forgiven. They will stop at nothing to destroy white people in revenge for our ancestors’ wrongdoings.

The political Left may look strong due to their all-consuming fear of death, especially now that politics is dominated by their philosophy, but this fear of death is also Progressivism’s biggest weakness. Fear can drive massive political change and readily destroy institutions because it is Man’s most powerful instinct. However, fear cannot build anything. Fear is too unstable a foundation, and fearing the very thing that defines life itself basically destines Progressivism to the political ash heap of history. Their all-consuming desire to save themselves from death will ultimately destroy them because we cannot save ourselves from death. Progressivism will either die out entirely as a political philosophy or be replaced by something more human and in tune with reality.  

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To build something good, lasting, and fundamentally human, we need to incorporate death into our folkways. We need to learn to accept death, not reject it. We need to spiritually internalize the fact that we will all die, and that death is the defining moment of life. Life will suddenly make a lot more sense. The actions of our ancestors will not be immediately evil. In fact, honoring our ancestors at all can only come by accepting death as a staple of life. We will become a more wholesome, grounded, and connected society. If everyone dies, but we accept death, it makes sense that we get to know our neighbors, families, and friends before they succumb to fate. Honoring them as the good people they were before they tragically left this mortal coil also makes sense. Why would we want to forget those we loved, even if they’ve departed from us for now?

So, this Allhallowstide, I would like to ask a favor of all of you: Remember why we have the Halloween festivities. Yes, go out and enjoy the candy, jokes, corny monster movies, and good company, but also remember to pray for the dead and honor them. Go to Mass. Drop by the family plot at the local graveyard and visit for a while. Clean the tombstone and replace the flowers too if necessary. Making sure the family plot is clean and well cared for is also part of honoring your ancestors. These deceptively simple actions will help us begin to accept death’s place in our lives and strike that wholesome balance between life and death. Whatever you do, don’t simply do it this year because I ordered you to. Do the same thing every year from now on. In other words, create a tradition you can pass to your children so they can share it with their children. That’s the beautiful thing about tradition. They all start somewhere.

In part one of this extended series of essays, I recounted Senator Benton’s early life. He was the son of a small farmer, born in South Carolina, whose father was taken from him soon after he was born. His widowed mother did her best to raise and educate him, but his educational career had a rocky start when he was expelled from school. Benton was restless, sharp witted, and quick to anger. Though his abrasive personality won him many enemies, his charisma won him as many friends in these early years. He ran in the same political circles as later giants like Andrew Jackson, and he worked hard to develop his circle of contacts while in Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri. He was nearly undone by his contact network when it came time to call upon them in the election of 1820. He won election to the US Senate by a single vote, but he wouldn’t let this narrow victory deter his political ambitions.

In part two, I wrote extensively about his political career and ideology. Though Benton started off as a political elitist, he quickly came to recognize the power of the people as suffrage rights among white men became more widespread. He began to cozy up to the people, desiring to act as their voice in the Senate and directly catering to their interests. The election of 1824 would prove to be the turning point of his career. The rest of the Missouri delegation to Congress, Senator David Barton and Representative John Scott, were prepared to endorse John Quincy Adams for President in a contentious, 4-way election with no decisive result. Benton was outraged. Andrew Jackson was the clear pick of Missourians, and he publicly denounced both Barton and Scott for betraying their oaths to Missouri. Though Adams would be picked over Jackson, Benton was soon vindicated when Andrew Jackson won the Presidency in 1828. Jackson would elevate Benton to his second in command in the Senate, and the people of Missouri would richly reward Benton for representing them by making his political position unassailable for decades.

However, as the Bank War passed and issues were raised with the annexation of Texas, Benton would find himself increasingly out of step with Missourians. His list of enemies was growing longer by the day, but Benton’s ideological dogmatism forbade changing course on values he held dear. It is here, in the midst of the contentious 1845 election where we pick up the thread of his story once again.

The Bentonites and the Calhounites

Benton’s personality may have won him many political enemies, but Benton’s talents as a political operative were more than enough to compensate. What really ended Benton’s career was him seemingly forgetting his number one rule: He was an avatar of the people, not his own interests. Benton seemingly began to forget his own rules, and the promises he made to the General Assembly in the latter half of his career in the Senate. Remember: Benton claimed that he would rather resign his seat in the Senate than oppose the will of Missourians or the General Assembly. He abandoned this rule once the slavery issue began splitting Missourians and the Democratic Party.

Benton, though a slave owner himself, was ardently against the expansion of slavery into new territory in the United States. He firmly believed that slavery was an evil the United States should eventually abolish, though not for moral reasons like the abolitionist Republicans. Benton was convinced slavery would divide the country, and repeatedly attempted to handicap any further extensions of slavery into new territories in his final term from 1844 through 1851.

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Benton opposed the annexation of Texas in 1844 since war with Mexico would halt the purchase of silver for his hard money policies and would extend slavery into new territory. He angered many Manifest Destiny types and slave owners back home with his actions, just in time for his next election in 1845. His political stature at this time was still titanic, so he won reelection handily, but he wouldn’t have this luxury in the next election. His credibility as a Senator would degrade as he kept opposing slavery, but Benton didn’t care. His political ideology demanded he oppose slavery, and his dogmatism forbade him from changing course.

The true degradation of Benton’s power began after his election in 1846. Benton would publicly announce his support for the Wilmot Proviso, which was attached to an appropriations bill proposed by President Polk. The appropriations bill would reserve $2 million for purchasing land from Mexico as war reparations. Polk dropped the bill at the eleventh hour before Congress adjourned session for the year to hopefully prevent riders and poison pills, but Representative David Wilmot from Pennsylvania spoiled the plan. Representative Wilmot’s Proviso attached his infamous “Wilmot Proviso” to the appropriations bill, would forbid the extension of slavery into any territory purchased from Mexico.

Though the appropriations bill with the Proviso died in the Senate, the effect on Benton’s political career was seismic. Supporting the Proviso would ultimately split the Missouri Democratic Party between Benton’s supporters and his detractors back home. His detractors were a colorful bunch, but if there was one position uniting them it was an unswerving devotion to Calhounite, Manifest Destiny-style slavery expansionism. Senator John C. Calhoun, another one of Benton’s friends-turned-enemy, was known for advocating the position that slavery should “follow the flag” as the United States expanded Westward. Calhoun firmly believed that all new territory taken into the Union should be open to slavery, even territory above the Missouri Compromise line which Calhoun believed was an unconstitutional law. The “Calhounites”, as I will dub them, therefore made Senator Calhoun their mascot against the Free-Soiler “Bentonites”.

The Calhounites were enraged by Benton’s support of the Wilmot Proviso and sought to tar and feather him in the Missouri press through negative stories and editorials right before the 1845 election. All of them emphasized Benton’s supposed opposition to the annexation of Texas. The Calhounites even managed to get the Missouri General Assembly to pass a set of concurrent resolutions urging congress to annex Texas at the “earliest practicable moment” as part of their media blitz. Their efforts would fail, and Benton would be re-elected again, but the 1845 election spelled trouble for Benton’s later political career. No one had seriously challenged his reelection before, but the slavery issue seemed to be the chink in Benton’s armor. Missourians were overwhelmingly in favor of the annexation of Texas. Opposing the annexation of Texas, especially over slavery, was playing a very dangerous game.

The Fickleness of the People

The Calhounites refused to take their defeat lying down after the 1845 election. They began to organize extensively, oftentimes in secret. Benton’s political prestige and power was still extensive, and to openly challenge Benton for extensive periods of time was asking for trouble. So, the Calhounites focused on taking control of the General Assembly. They rapidly coalesced in the General Assembly. Their campaign was so effective that, by December 1848, the Calhounites had taken control of the General Assembly and forced the passage of another set of resolutions dubbed the “Jackson Resolutions”.

The Resolutions were extensive in their scope. They denied Congress’ power to legislate slavery’s reach in the United States or acquired territory. They asserted that states alone could legislate upon the issue of slavery. They declared that any act of Congress preventing slaveholders from taking their property elsewhere was a calculated move to split up the Union and tyrannize the people by dictating what the people could do with their property. As a final twist of the knife, the Jackson Resolutions demanded that all members of Missouri’s Congressional delegation act in conformity with the Resolutions or suffer the electoral consequences.

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The passage of the Resolutions enraged Benton. In May of 1849, Benton issued his response in a speech given on the floor of the Missouri House of Representatives. Benton railed against the Resolutions as a Calhounite conspiracy, written by his rival Senator Calhoun himself as a political ploy to destroy him. Benton publicly rejected the Jackson Resolutions, and declared the Resolutions demanded nothing less than the dissolution of the Union which he was a sworn defender of. He appealed directly to the people of Missouri, asking them to put the Union above party.

However, Benton’s pleas fell on deaf ears. The people and the press turned decisively against him in the 1850 election. The passage of the Jackson Resolutions emboldened the Calhounites and other anti-Benton forces building within the state. Formerly solid Bentonite papers began castigating the Senator as out of touch with Missouri. Missouri political giants like Senator David Atkinson and Representative James Green, the other members of Missouri’s Congressional delegation, denounced Benton as forgetting his place as the people’s avatar. Other members of the Democratic Party tried healing the sudden and bitter schism between the Bentonites and Calhounites through the election to no avail. Benton himself would sink their efforts in a letter to the public in March of 1850: [I] would sooner sit in council with the six thousand dead, who have died of cholera in St. Louis, than to go into convention with such a gang of scamps.” He continues, declaring that “[He] will not mix with them, nor give, nor take help. Let them have their own ticket and we ours. Let us have a clean Democratic ticket – no taint of Calhounism, i.e., secession, disunion, nullification, in it.”

The split ticket would lead to Benton’s downfall. Both warring factions of the Democratic Party sought to undermine the other’s cause at any expense, but the Bentonites were the ones who really lost. After forty rounds of balloting, Henry S. Geyer was elected in Benton’s place on March 4, 1851. The loss was catastrophic for Benton’s political power. His supporters would flee the Democratic Party in response. The people had rejected him, and he was no longer their avatar.

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Benton would rail against the loss in the papers but refused to give up. He would try to regain political power first by winning election to the House of Representatives in 1852. However, he failed to get reelected in 1854. He tried running for David Atchinson’s Senate seat in 1855 and failed in that election as well. Finally, in a last bid to regain political power, he would run for Governor of Missouri in 1856 and would fail for the final time. Benton was now a spent political force in Missouri. The Calhounites had won in Missouri, and their champions like Claibourne Fox Jackson would later lead Missouri into the fire and ruin of the Civil War.

Benton’s Legacy and Impact

If Benton regretted his fall from grace, he didn’t regret it for long. Benton would die two years after his fall from grace in 1858. He spent his last two years in Washington D.C., writing his memoirs about his Senate career. His portrayal of events behind the scenes would ultimately preserve his legacy in the eyes of Missourians, and they would suitably honor him after his death first by buying his memoirs in droves. A monument to Benton would then be built in Lafayette Park in St. Louis, erected in his honor in 1868. The monument is topped with a massive, 10-foot-tall statue of Benton himself, depicting him as a classical Roman statesman in a toga with a contemporary jacket and scarf underneath. He faces the West he held so dear and holds a partially unrolled map with the word “America” written upon it. You can still visit the monument today. Benton himself is buried in St. Louis’ historic Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Benton would receive several other honors as well. Counties across seven states (Missouri, Minnesota, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington) are named in Benton’s honor. Benton would also have numerous cities and small towns named in his honor, and his likeness would adorn the $100 gold certificate in 1882. Finally, Benton would make several appearances in books and biographies. President Theodore Roosevelt published a biography of the late Senator in 1887, and Benton is one of eight Senators profiled in President JFK’s Profiles in Courage. Benton even makes a cameo in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in the Fourth of July parade in chapter 22. All Tom could think about was how disappointing the parade was, especially Mr. Benton’s appearance. Tom thought the Senator would be twenty-five feet tall and was bitterly disappointed that Benton was only six foot one.

Benton also had seismic impacts on shaping Missouri politics both then and now. He is uniquely responsible for creating the Missouri Democratic Party, which is his most lasting impact. I would suspect many modern Democrats would deny his connection to the Party unfortunately. Benton was, after all, a slaveowner. They would find him disgusting if they were historically literate enough to know his name. People forget that Missouri was a Democrat stronghold for nearly two centuries. Republican domination of the state is a very recent phenomenon. I had no time or space to write about his contributions to the founding of the Missouri Democratic Party. This series of essays is long enough as it is, and I plan to cover the Democratic Party at length some other time.  

I believe Benton would also shape the fundamental political culture and character of Missouri for years to come. Benton’s stranglehold on Missouri politics during his reign was so totalizing that I believe he left a fundamental imprint on how Missourians do politics. Missourians to this day are political populists. We believe heartily in the “power of the people”, and political campaigns that don’t pay homage to this shibboleth are bound for the ash heap. It’s a common tactic for campaigns to portray themselves as the “avatar of the people” like Benton. Populists like Republican Bill Eigel are everywhere in the General Assembly. Missourians are universally suspicious of politicians of all stripes. Jefferson City’s supposed corruption is a common punching bag for all partisans, and many lament the “Jefferson City bubble” which blocks out the will of the people.  

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Missouri is also one of sixteen states with more-or-less direct democracy. Missourians are allowed to vote on just about anything in the constitution or in law. Regulations for which referendums are written onto the ballot and what it takes to pass them are very loose. You can amend the constitution with 55% of the vote in Missouri on an initiative petition, whereas it takes 67% of the vote in the legislature to do the exact same thing. The Progressives in 1908 may have been responsible for writing the referendum process into statute, but it is Missouri’s populist political culture that legitimized the referendum and its loose regulations.  

In conclusion, Senator Thomas Hart Benton is a man who is hard to classify. This series of essays is only a taste of his bombastic, larger-than-life personality and political exploits. His shadow is long in Federal and Missouri politics, but ultimately the man was incredibly flawed despite his brilliance. The lesson I feel he teaches best is ultimately political. He serves as a warning on the dangers inherent to being the “people’s avatar”. Benton was never a simple “voice of the people”. He was clearly a man of deeply held principle, even if those principles weren’t as developed as the political philosophies of Henry Clay or John Calhoun. He felt strongly that he must embody the will of the people, yet his desire to be the people’s avatar conflicted with his own, deeply held belief that slavery cannot expand any further.

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Let Senator Benton’s example remind you that every man, no matter how deferential to the “will of the people”, has agendas and principles that are his own. This is a good thing because it’s directly related to the second lesson: The people often have no idea what they’re talking about. Just because the people want something, just because something is popular, doesn’t automatically make it “good” for anyone involved. In fact, what the people “want” is usually against their best interests in the long term if not in the short term. Benton was ultimately vindicated in his assessment of the Calhounites as being secessionists who would split the country apart, though he would never live to see the results of Calhounite rule in Missouri. Benton would foresee the tragedy but could do nothing to stop it because he tied his legitimacy directly to the will of the people. This is the tragedy of Benton’s political career: A man who sought to stop the forthcoming Civil War at the ninth hour, only to be undermined by his own political philosophy.   

Bibliography

McCandless, Perry. 1955. “The Rise of Thomas H. Benton In Missouri Politics.” Missouri Historical Review 50 (October): 16-29.

McCandless, Perry. 1956. “The Political Philosophy and Political Personality of Thomas Hart Benton.” Missouri Historical Review 50 (January): 145-158.

Meyer, Duane. 1973. The Heritage of Missouri: A History. St. Louis, MO: State Publishing Co. Inc.

Ray, P.O.. 1907. “The Retirement of Thomas H. Benton from the Senate and its significance”. Missouri Historical Review 2 (October): 1-14.

Ray, P.O.. 1908. “The Retirement of Thomas H. Benton from the Senate and its significance”. Missouri Historical Review 2 (January): 97-111.

On October 20, 2024, a Presidential candidate worked the fry cook station at a Pennsylvania McDonalds and the elites lost their minds.  As Trump flipped burgers, worked the cashier’s window, and dished out orders of large fries to hungry drivers, the elites were busy condemning him as a hypocrite and a panderer. The Palmer Report gives the best summary of elite opinion I’ve seen on this piece of campaign news cycle drama:

I would say I’ve never seen such retarded takes from the media before, but I lived through 2020 and 2016. Takes like these are par for the course from our degenerate elite. I don’t even need to check MSNBC and the New York Times to know what all good, right-thinking liberals are saying. Between breathless accusations that Trump is literally the second coming of The Midcentury German and that he’s the greatest ThREaT tO oUR DeMOcRaCY!!!1! since George W. Bush, they’ll clutch their pearls about how Trump is attempting to score cheap political points against Harris.

After all, we must remember how we got to this point in electoral politics. Harris, in either an interview or during a political campaign ad, mentioned that she once worked a summer job at McDonalds during college. Trump decides to openly question whether she just lied on her resume. So, Trump goes to work a drive through for a day in Pennsylvania in a press conference/campaign rally hybrid event. Now he can claim that he’s worked longer at McDonalds than Harris ever has. Que the wailing and gnashing of teeth from our supposed superiors in the press, moaning about Orange Hitler’s lies and misogyny.

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As usual, the press is drawing the exact wrong conclusion from a two-minute news cycle no one will remember on Election Day in two weeks. Yes, Trump is obviously pandering. The man is running a political campaign after all. That’s not even a question. The real question is why Trump openly questioning Kamala Harris’ resume, then going to work at a McDonalds for a day, is even an effective political strategy. Optically the McDonalds event was a win for Trump, even if no one will remember it happening by next Sunday. It was a humanizing depiction of a man we normally think of as being larger-than-life. He’s a former President running for the same office again. He was a celebrity and a multi-billionaire from New York City, wheeling and dealing with some of the biggest political and economic power players of the century. Men like that are so remote to the average American they may as well be characters in a high fantasy novel.

Trump working the cashier’s window at your local McDonalds as you, Joe Sixpack, take your Number Two Combo and drive home from church is an emotional reminder to the average voter that Trump is an actual human being who wants to understand you. You can see how effective the imagery is firsthand. Most of the people who drove up to that cashier’s window were thunderstruck that a former President of the United States is serving them a Big Mac and a large drink from behind the counter. Several stopped for a minute to shake hands with the former President and offer their thanks or appeals to not let the country go to Hell in a handbasket if he gets reelected. Those people will probably tell their children and grandchildren about how they were served at McDonalds by President Donald J. Trump for years to come.

The honesty of Trump’s McDonalds Day was also very refreshing. Trump knows what he is and doesn’t hide that fact. He’s a multi-billionaire from upstate New York with a palatial mansion in Florida and a globe spanning business enterprise. He’s never worked a middle-class summer job in his life, and openly admits to that. He’s also there to fling a very large mud pie at Kamala Harris in a contentious political campaign. No one cares. He’s open about his intentions and doesn’t hide behind false platitudes about being a “working man’s candidate” when his hands are as soft and supple as the hands of a newborn baby.

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Nevertheless, Trump doesn’t let the background situation ruin the moment. He makes a couple, obligatory swipes at Harris but is content to leave her out of the picture because Trump’s McDonald’s Day is about him. He’s there to enjoy the moment and genuinely learn a couple things about how average Americans live and work. It’s a wholesome moment, one that evokes a heartfelt sense of camaraderie and unity between him, those workers, the people in the drive through, and the people at home watching the pictures roll by their social media feeds. You can almost believe Trump is an old school manager, helping his staff out during the Sunday lunch rush because a coworker called in sick.

Trump is painting a stark, emotional contrast between himself and Harris. What the press fails to understand is that Trump can pull this strategy off because no one believes Harris has ever worked a McDonalds job in her life. What’s on her resume, true or not, ultimately doesn’t matter. Harris has only appeared in highly controlled settings and interviews because whenever she steps outside her comfort zone she immediately falls apart. She’s never seen hobnobbing with average people like Trump or Biden. Trump has his McDonalds pictures, Biden has the various shots of himself getting ice cream, but what does Kamala have?

This whole McDonalds episode points to a broader metaphysical point about power we on the political right may understand after Trump: Powerful political elites must have a sense of noblesse obliges towards their people. The Democrats, Kamala Harris, and the press never appeal to the people or ask for power. They demand power from the people because they are the future. They feel they are owed power because it is their time, or because they are the institutions created by the Constitution, or because their Progressive god demands their ascension. They appeal to their entitlements alone, and feel they have no responsibilities to wider society beyond paying off their base.

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Trump, on the other hand, has a sense of noblesse obliges. It’s primitive and instinctual, but it is there. Trump has observed that, in order to rule people well, you must understand them and how they live. That means walking among the people, talking to them, and participating somehow in their lives. In other words, Trump is asking the people for power. He doesn’t demand the people recognize a right or privilege he hasn’t earned. He doesn’t demand legitimacy because a stolid and sclerotic set of documents claim he’s legitimate, or because worship of the polis’ idols require it. He asks because he understands that politics at its most basic level requires loyalty, and that true loyalty cannot be compelled.

(This is the first in a series of articles extolling the legends and exploits of the great men and women of Missouri. These great people have shaped whole eras of Missouri history with their works and deeds. I hope to catalogue and retell their stories for us and our posterity. Make sure to read the first part of this article on Senator Thomas Hart Benton, published on March 15, 2024.)

In the last article, we explored the first half of Senator Thomas Hart Benton’s life. Benton came from humble beginnings. His mother, though widowed early in Benton’s life, took it upon herself to educate her young son. However, Benton’s first forays into secondary education were a disaster despite his intelligence and sharp wit. The injustices he sustained during his time in school, combined with his restlessness and discontentment with farm life, created the core characteristics of his personality: He was brash, impulsive, and could be explosively violent if his honor was questioned. He was quick to make enemies, though he could be just as quick to make new friends.

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The enterprising young Benton would leave the East coast to come to Missouri, seeking entry into the political life he was denied by Andrew Jackson back in Tennessee. Though he came with only $400, Benton quickly made a name for himself as a lawyer gentleman and socialite. He quickly cultivated a large network of wealthy and influential allies in St. Louis for a political campaign. However, his choice of allies would nearly condemn him to political obscurity from the outset when he finally called upon his network in 1820. Democratic sentiment was strong in Missouri. The people didn’t appreciate St. Louis elites and their interest groups carving out sizable political influence for themselves in the state constitution. The people punished the original framers of the Missouri constitution by refusing to reelect them. Benton himself almost lost his political career because of this setback. He was elected to the US Senate by a single swing vote once the democrats elected by the people took their seats in August.

In this article, I will explore Benton’s reign as Senator in the US Congress. I will be discussing his personal political philosophy and the major political battles he was involved with. Then, I will detail his downfall as Senator and why I think he eventually lost his power and influence. Hopefully his legacy to Missouri will become apparent as I relay these details.

Benton’s Early Senate Career

Benton spent his early years in the Senate working off political debts to Missouri allies by securing the passage of favorable bills. The bills mostly benefitted Benton’s merchant allies back in St. Louis through market deregulation. One such deregulation measure was Benton’s killing of the government’s “factory trade” system with the Indian tribes out West. The basic idea of the system was that government agents (“factors”) would buy goods from merchants and sell those goods to the Indians at cost. The government claimed the system was put in place to prevent the exploitation of the Indians and provided uniform access of goods to all Indian tribes. The merchants hated the factory system because they believed the system created an uncompetitive market. The merchants wanted to cut out the middleman and sell directly to the Indians. Benton sponsored the bill which eventually killed the factory system.

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Another piece of legislation Benton directly advocated for was the liberal recognition of those Spanish land claims he made his fortune working back in St. Louis. He sponsored several bills allowing Missourians who held Spanish land titles to obtain American titles for their land instead. The liberal recognition of these land claims played well with Missourian farmers in the backwoods regions. Clearing the bureaucratic and surveying nightmare lifted a large burden off the average Missouri farmer and bolstered his support among the common people.

Benton’s work on those land claims wasn’t his only attempts to shore up his support among the people. The Senator spent a significant amount of time advocating for two, very controversial policy positions that stood to directly benefit ruralites and farmers: Establishing a graduated donation system for selling government land, and direct election of the President and Vice President. The graduation-donation system would regularly drop the price of government land being sold to the people to encourage the people to buy land. If no one wanted to buy the land, the land would be donated to anyone who wished to live upon it. Government policy at the time dictated that government-owned lands would be sold at auction for about $1.25 per acre. Cheap, or maybe free, land was a very enticing proposition for Missouri farmers as was increasing their political power at the ballot box.

However, Senator Benton’s big political break came with the controversial 1824 election. 1824 was a first for many reasons. It was the first election allowing large swathes of the population to vote. States had been reassessing the use of property qualifications as a requirement to vote since the beginning of the Republic; but 1824 was the first time most states (about 19 of 25) allowed their paupers to vote. 1824 was also an insanely crowded field. That year, four candidates made it to the General Election for the Presidency: John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, and Benton’s old rival from Tennessee Andrew Jackson. You can imagine that the backbiting, Congressional intrigue, and vicious salvos in the newspapers were particularly intense that year.

The chaos of 1824 culminated in the worst way possible: None of the candidates in the race won a majority of electoral college votes. The Constitution mandates that when the Electoral College returns an indecisive result, the House will decide who would become the President. Andrew Jackson was in the lead with 99 Electoral College votes (152,901 popular votes), but he was 32 Electoral College votes short of a majority. Adams was the runner up with 84 Electoral College votes (114,023 popular votes), followed by Crawford with 41 votes (46,979 popular) and Clay in last with 31 votes (47,217 popular).

Henry Clay was eliminated from the ballot first because he received the fewest Electoral College votes. Clay’s elimination presented Thomas Hart Benton with a unique political opportunity. Senator Benton originally threw his support behind Clay and campaigned heavily on Clay’s behalf in Missouri. Benton admired Clay’s economic program of Federally funded infrastructure projects, high protective tariffs, and the creation of a bank of the United States. Benton also wanted to help a relative. Clay had recently married one of Benton’s cousins in Tennessee, and Benton took family loyalties very seriously.

With Clay eliminated, Benton made the unexpected move of publicly supporting his old Tennessee political rival: Andrew Jackson. Considering how the two men parted ways nearly a decade ago, the average politico of the era might expect that Senator Benton would try and undermine Jackson every chance he got. Both Jackson and Benton were immensely prideful men, and both fiercely protected their public honor whenever they could. Both men were infamous duelers, and Benton’s most recent duel with Charles Lucas ended in tragedy.  

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However, neither man held a grudge over their last duel in Talbot’s Tavern. In fact, both men seemed to forgive the past slights and reconciled with one another. Benton and Jackson were assigned to the same Committee in the Senate, the Committee on Military Affairs, and a new friendship blossomed as they worked together on legislation. Jackson would even have the bullet removed from his left arm, still embedded there since that Talbot’s Tavern brawl, and presented to Benton as a present in 1833. Benton would respectfully refuse the gift, declaring that “twenty years peaceful possession” gave Jackson sole ownership of the bullet.

Senator Benton did have more calculated, political reasons for supporting Jackson despite the thawing friendship they’d struck up through pre-Committee small talk. Benton had noticed that Jackson was the runner-up behind Henry Clay in Missouri’s popular vote, with Clay receiving 2,042 votes (60%), Jackson receiving 1,166 votes (35%), and John Quincy Adams receiving 218 votes (6%). It was clear to Benton that the people of Missouri had spoken. They wanted either Clay or Jackson. Yet the rest of the Missouri delegation to Congress was planning on voting for Adams anyway. Senator David Barton and Representative John Scott, Missouri’s lone Representative and the man who would deliver Missouri’s vote for President in 1824, were both emphatic supporters of Quincy Adams.

Benton was galled by the whole situation. In his opinion, Missouri’s Congressional delegation were the representatives of the people, not their own interests. The people of Missouri had voted decisively against Adams, and the fact that Scott was even thinking about voting for Adams was a betrayal of Missouri’s will. I imagine that Benton spent a good deal of time grinding his teeth in frustration in his office on Capitol Hill. Ultimately, he decided on drastic action. Action that would ultimately solidify his legacy as one of Missouri’s greatest Senators.

The Birth of Old Bullion

Benton decided that the situation with Scott and Barton had to be dealt with quickly and very publicly. Benton would use his editorship of the St. Louis Gazette, and his extensive connections with newspapermen throughout Missouri, to make a public announcement that he would endorse Andrew Jackson for President. He claimed in editorials to the papers that the people had spoken, and that he would do their will as their Senator in Congress. Benton also bitterly denounced both Barton and Scott for their support of Adams as a betrayal of Missouri’s people. Adams was an Easterner, a Yankee, and had no ties to Missouri.

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Neither Barton nor Scott was convinced by Benton’s fiery editorials in the papers. Benton’s actions caused an immediate split in Missouri’s Congressional delegation on the issue. Barton and Benton would cut political ties shortly after Benton’s tirade in the press. Benton would unsuccessfully oppose Barton’s reelection to the Senate in 1824. Scott and Benton also cut ties in 1824, especially after Benton published a stinging letter in the newspapers to Representative Scott:

The vote which you intend thus is not your own. It belongs to the people of the state of Missouri. They are against Mr. Adams. I, in their name, do solemnly protest against your intention, and deny your moral power to bestow their vote. For nine years we have been closely associated in our political course . . . this means . . . lasting separation.

The correspondence did nothing to change Scott’s mind. Scott voted in favor of Quincy Adams and Adams would win the Presidency that year. Benton would also unsuccessfully oppose Scott’s reelection in 1826. Jackson, in a fit of rage, resigned his Senate post and vowed to take the White House back from corrupt Washington interests in 1828.

The 1824 election, with all its drama and Congressional intrigue, would mark a turning point in the career of Senator Thomas Hart Benton. Benton previously ran as a monied, well-connected elitist from St. Louis. Though he did his best to balance all interests in Missouri, he was in the pockets of the fur trappers, bankers, and lawyers of St. Louis’ upper-class elites. Now, Benton turned away from his St. Louis allies and their connections and began shaping himself into a man of the people, of the farmers and working-class men and women that made up the bulk of society. The reason why is rather obvious: Benton believed the people held power in this new political age, and he knew this through hard-earned personal experience. His near fatal miscalculations about where power lay in 1821 almost cost him a Senate seat.

And so, Benton shifted to the central axiom of his career for the rest of his thirty-year term in the Senate: The people are all-powerful. Benton would be the people’s avatar in the Senate, and he would serve as their voice for as long as they desired. Throughout his years as Senator, Benton would repeatedly stress in letters, editorials, and in personal conversation with the General Assembly that, if the people of Missouri wished him to replace, then the General Assembly should replace him. If he broke with the General Assembly on any issue, or the people of Missouri for that matter, he would gladly tender his resignation with the Chief Clerk of the United States’ Senate and willingly walk into political obscurity.

Benton’s dogmatic belief that the people controlled him as their avatar would lead to a man wholly devoted to the practical relief of his constituents. Benton, like most Jacksonian Democrats, were not political philosophers like Quincy Adams or Henry Clay. They believed themselves to be salt-of-the-Earth people. They were simple farmers, planters, and workaday nobodies who wanted the government to make life as easy as possible for the people back home. Most would prefer the government to simply leave them alone. Whether or not this is wholly true is another interesting wrinkle in the story of Jacksonianism in the United States. Let’s not forget: Andrew Jackson lived on a massive planter estate in Tennessee and was fabulously rich. Benton himself was a very well-to-do, highly connected lawyer from St. Louis who made his fortune working complicated land entitlement cases. Sharecroppers on a twenty-acre plot of land, like the vast majority of Missouri’s Jacksonian Democrats, they were not.

Regardless of if they were literally men of the people, Jacksonian Democrats like Benton at least believed they were and sincerely respected the masses they represented. Benton’s belief in himself being merely the servant of Missouri’s sharecroppers shines through in his communication style and his later legislative record. Benton was a frequent flyer in the editorial pages of most major Missouri newspapers of the time, including his own Missouri Enquirer which he still edited. There were plenty of pro-Benton papers at the time willing to do dirty work on his behalf, if not at his explicit direction. Some of the bigger publications were the St. Louis Beacon, the central Missouri paper Western Monitor, the Jeffersonian Republican, and the Missouri Argus.

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Benton: The People’s Avatar

Being the avatar of the people though would be ineffective if all your constituents believed you were LARPing however. Benton proved he was no pretender by routinely advocating for popular policies among Missourians. I’ve already mentioned his work reforming the process of recognizing those old Spanish land titles and killing the government factory system for trading with Indians, but Benton did loads of other work publicly throughout his Senatorial career. His earliest proposal directly catering to the people under his new, “people’s avatar” axiom is introducing a Constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College in 1824. The affair with the 1824 election soured his opinion of the institution, which he came to regard as an unjust imposition on the people’s will. The amendment would never see the light of day, but that didn’t stop Benton from trying other means to gain a more direct democracy. He would become a vocal supporter of universal white male suffrage and worked to enlarge the electorate of the United States.

Senator Benton was not content to merely advocate for further political freedoms, but also assisted the many poor sharecroppers and farmers of Missouri economically. Famously, Benton was a gold and silver bug. Benton was suspicious of paper currency since greenbacks were easily inflated away by banks issuing more notes than they could feasibly redeem. This “wild cat currency” was a plague on Missouri’s frontier, and Benton believed the poor bore the brunt of the usurious practice. His suspicion of the banks and greenbacks came to the fore in 1831 with the Bank Affair under the Jackson administration. He proposed to Jackson a few solutions to kneecap the Bank’s economic power. He wanted the Jackson administration to ban paper money in denominations below $20. As a counterbalance, the Banks should be directed to print coins only in silver and gold. His long advocacy of this policy at the state and Federal level would earn him the nickname Old Bullion.

His hard money policies were calculated towards a larger political goal outside simply relief for poor farmers from bank mismanagement. Senator Benton believed firmly in Manifest Destiny and played a large part in shaping policy regarding settlement of the West. His monetary policies were one facet of his zeal for Manifest Destiny. Hard money policies discouraged speculation on land, which stabilized or dropped its price which allowed poor farmers easier access to land. Benton believed that unsettled land was insecure land. Foreign rivals, or Indians for that matter, could theoretically reclaim land owned by the United States if there were no Anglo-Saxons there to till the soil and build towns. Towards this cause, Benton would help write the Preemption Act of 1841 which allowed squatters to purchase land from the United States for $1.25 an acre, and purchasable land was capped at 160 acres. The Preemption Act would serve as the foundations of the later Homestead Acts.

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Benton would also work to secure the Oregon Territory from the British during the days of the Oregon Territory controversy. He would speak on Oregon in a series of speeches given over three days in the Senate, which he titled “The Oregon Question”. In his usual, fiery style, Benton declared that Oregon belongs to the United States. Manifest Destiny must be allowed to complete her march Westward to the Pacific. He would then move to reintroduce a bill to declare the Oregon Territory as belonging to the United States. Benton would later have a hand in negotiating the Oregon Treaty of 1848, which ceded roughly half of the Oregon Territory from the British to the US. Though he was hawkish on Manifest Destiny, Benton was not unreasonable. His choice of border for the new territory is what became law instead of the 54-40 or fight position of many of his Senate contemporaries.

Benton and His Enemies

The 1824 election may have been the turning point of Benton’s career, but the fruits of that career wouldn’t begin to blossom for several years. Benton’s former friends, now political rivals, Barton and Scott survived their election challenges much to Benton’s chagrin. John Quincy Adams had also been elected President, so Benton couldn’t count on Federal patronage thanks to burning many bridges in the Senate and with the White House. He was in a very vulnerable political position from 1824 through August 1825 until John Miller, a fellow Jacksonian, was elected Governor of Missouri. Benton’s state-side flank was secure with Miller’s election. The Governor would keep the General Assembly in line, not that Benton ultimately needed help. He was reelected by the General Assembly with 71% of the vote, which was a much stronger showing than his previous 1821 election.

Benton’s endorsement of Jackson would ultimately prove to be the smart choice for Benton’s political career. True to his word, Andrew Jackson came storming out of Tennessee in 1828 on a groundswell of popular support. He would take the White House out of the hands of Quincy Adams and his Federalist followers while ushering in the final death of the Federalist Party in the United States. Jackson’s victory in Missouri was total. Jackson won every county and received double the number of votes Adams did. Benton’s vindication at the national level made him untouchable in Missouri so long as Jacksonianism was strong in the state. He was already recognized as a leader of the Jacksonian Democrats before 1828, and his loyalty to Jackson would be richly rewarded with political favors and high status in the Party. Benton would eventually become Jackson’s right-hand man at the national level, and Jackson’s go-to for a window into Missouri politics.

However, if there’s one law of politics it’s that all men must fall, and Senator Benton is no different. Benton alienated a lot of Senators and political operatives during his thirty-year tenure, many of them unnecessarily due to his own larger-than-life character flaws. He had a swaggering superiority complex that demanded praise from everyone around him. One of the most memorable stories I’ve uncovered in my research was an interaction between Benton and a boy who came to see him during a political speech. This boy had traveled some 200 miles to watch Benton’s speech and was introduced to the Senator by some of the Senator’s friends. Benton was completely unimpressed. “You did right,” was reportedly all Benton said to the child.

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His boisterous, quarrelsome personality won him as many enemies as his natural charisma won friends. Ever dogmatic in all political matters, he tended to be insanely abusive on the debate floor of the Senate. Benton, though intelligent, was not a political genius like many of his enemies at the time. However, he made up for his relative lack of intelligence with sheer industrial might. Benton was known for his marshalling of a vast array of facts and figures during political debates, collected from many hard hours of study. Combine his vast command of facts with his political dogmatism and arrogance, and you get his signature strategy: Drowning your opposition in facts while bludgeoning their honor into glue. Snide and thinly veiled personal attacks against his political enemies were common in a Benton speech. Because of his borderline abusive debate strategy, he counted men like Henry Clay, John Scott, David Barton, and John C. Calhoun as major political enemies. All those men, once personal friends, were all alienated directly due to Benton’s actions even though many of them were once ideological allies.

Bibliography

McCandless, Perry. 1955. “The Rise of Thomas H. Benton In Missouri Politics.” Missouri Historical Review 50 (October): 16-29.

McCandless, Perry. 1956. “The Political Philosophy and Political Personality of Thomas Hart Benton.” Missouri Historical Review 50 (January): 145-158.

Meyer, Duane. 1973. The Heritage of Missouri: A History. St. Louis, MO: State Publishing Co. Inc.

Ray, P.O.. 1907. “The Retirement of Thomas H. Benton from the Senate and its significance”. Missouri Historical Review 2 (October): 1-14.

Ray, P.O.. 1908. “The Retirement of Thomas H. Benton from the Senate and its significance”. Missouri Historical Review 2 (January): 97-111.

If you are ever wandering through the lonely, rolling farmlands north of Sheridan, Missouri, you might stumble across a pair of curious monuments hidden amongst the roadside weeds near the intersection of Birch Trail and 100^th Road. I’d bet only the locals know these monuments exist. One is an iron obelisk sunk deep into the soft ground. Time’s casual, passing cruelty has worn away the surface of the metal from a gleaming black to a pockmarked brown. “Iowa” is inscribed on its northern face, and Missouri is etched upon its southern face.

The other monument is clearly a recent edition. The second monument is carved like a classic tombstone out of red Missouri granite. It sits upon a platform of simple concrete, uncracked yet by the ruthless Missouri weather. Its clean and smooth surface gleams in the Sun as you gaze upon it. A bronze plaque is the only marking upon its pure surface:

“This iron marker, remnant of the Honey War, was placed at this point in 1850 to identify the Northwest Corner of the Territory of Missouri, as determined by the Sullivan Survey in 1860.”

Honey War? Sullivan Survey? What’s that? Its likely that you’ve never heard of these events previously, and I’m not surprised. Most Missourians and Iowans wouldn’t know what the “Honey War” or “Sullivan survey” are if you questioned them. I think it’s a shame that no one remembers the time Missouri and Iowa almost went to war.

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The Honey War

The seeds of the Honey War were planted well before either Missouri or Iowa were a glimmer in Uncle Sam’s eye. The story begins in 1816 with United States surveyor John C. Sullivan and the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Territory was bought by the Jefferson administration in 1803, and Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery to explore the Missouri River watershed to map the United States’ new acquisition. Lewis and Clark would map the Louisiana Territory as thoroughly as they could, but much surveying work still needed to be done before the United States could effectively use the new territory.

Hence why Mr. Sullivan arrived in the Louisiana Territory in 1816. Sullivan was on a mission from the U.S. government to chart and survey the new territory on behalf of the United States. Part of his mission was placing the border between the organizing Missouri territory and what would become Iowa according to his orders from Washington. Sullivan would carve territorial markers on tree stumps and note where he drew the line, but these markers would be lost or destroyed as time progressed. The notes Mr. Sullivan wrote would leave the ticking bomb which resulted in the Honey War nearly twenty years later.

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Mr. Sullivan placed the Missouri-Iowa border at the “Des Moines rapids”, which is incredibly obscure for survey notes. Sullivan’s notes could indicate two completely different points for the Missouri-Iowa border: the Des Moines Rapids on the Mississippi River, or the “rapids on the Des Moines River” which is south of current day Keosauqua, Iowa. Missouri also wrote the obscure notes into its constitution in the clauses defining its borders in 1820. When Missouri resurveyed its northern border in 1824 after achieving statehood, it declared a maximalist reading of the notes which placed Missouri’s border south of Keosauqua. By now, most of Sullivan’s original territorial markers were destroyed. All Missouri had for reference were those notes. Missouri’s claim went unchallenged at the time because Iowa was still organizing as a territory. Few settlers were in the area to fuss over borders and who had political control.

Confusion began to boil in 1837 when Missouri resurveyed its northern border once again. By now, many settlers had made lives for themselves in the disputed region. The situation quickly spiraled out of control during the survey. Everyone involved realized they had no idea where to place the border. The only documents Missouri and Iowa had to guide the survey were Sullivan’s confusing, twenty-year-old notes. Sullivan’s old border markers rotted away long ago. Missouri reaffirmed its 1824 claim at Keosauqua, which is 9.5 miles north of its current position. Iowa then disputed Missouri’s claim, saying the border started at the mouth of the Des Moines River which is 15 miles south of the current Missouri-Iowa border.

The ticking bomb would finally explode in 1838-1839 when Missouri began sending tax collectors into the disputed territory. Thousands of settlers now occupied the disputed region, and many of them didn’t identify as Missourians. The Iowans were furious that a foreign state was attempting to tax them on sovereign Iowa territory. Mobs of angry Iowans in modern Davis and Van Buren counties chased the Missouri tax collectors from their counties with pitchforks and torches. The legends say those Missouri tax collectors retaliated by chopping down three local honey trees and collecting the honey in lieu of actual payment. Thus was the Honey War dubbed, as memorialized by Missourian John Campbell from Palmyra in his satirical poem “The Honey War”:

“Ye freemen of this happy land,
Which flows with milk and honey;
Arise! To arms! Your ponies mount,
Regard not blood or money.
Old Governor Lucas, tiger-like,
Is prowling round our borders,
But Governor Boggs is wide awake –
Just listen to his orders.
Three bee trees stand about the line,
Between our State and Lucas;
Be ready all these trees to fall,
And bring things to a focus.
We’ll show old Lucas how to brag,
And seize our precious honey.”

The Honey War reached its climax when the sheriff of Clark County (MO) was arrested by the sheriff of Van Buren County (IA) while attempting to collect Missouri’s taxes. The Missourians were enraged when they heard the news. The local militias in Lewis and Clark Counties (MO) were quickly called up to rescue the captive Missouri sheriff. Iowa’s Territorial Governor, Robert Lucas, responded by activating the Iowa militia once news of the mustering Missouri forces reached him. Soon thousands of Missourians and Iowans were swarming the border in the middle of winter with whatever weapons they could scrounge. Everything from grandpa’s old blunderbuss to heavily modified farming equipment was present; and everyone was ready to duke it out and settle the matter once and for all.

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Thankfully for intra-Union relations at the time, cooler heads prevailed in the end. War served neither Missouri nor Iowa, and the Governors of both states recognized that. Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs and Governor Lucas quickly crafted a compromise and allowed either Congress or the Supreme Court to settle the matter on their behalf later. The Supreme Court in 1849 would order the remarking of the Missouri-Iowa border along its modern lines. That’s how the old iron obelisk ended up in a roadside ditch north of a sleepy Missouri village. That iron obelisk once marked the northwestern corner of Missouri before the Platte Purchase. It’s one of many territorial markers the Supreme Court demanded be placed along the Missouri-Iowa border to prevent another mishap in the future.

The Wandering Troubadour

“But why does any of this matter?” the Coasters, Westerners, or Southerners in our midst might ask. Why care about a peacefully resolved, Middle American border dispute from 170 years ago? I don’t expect many people outside the Midwest to care about the Honey War by itself, but the Honey War is emblematic of a problem common in American society nowadays: The death of identity and local history.

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One of the Online Right’s favorite hobby horses to ride is the deracination of American society and the death of community. We love to complain about the churches being empty, Mainstreet closing, and neighbors refusing to converse with each other. We are a people out of time, rootless and cosmopolitan in the worst sense. The problem is worse than simply being atomized individuals. We have no identity as a people. Americans have no collective identity to relate to since our history, culture, and folkways have been sanitized into sterility or discarded by the American Empire in the mad quest to forge a common American identity.

 We hear the hollow ring of this hole in the heart of our politics whenever immigration is discussed. Underlying the entire immigration debate is another debate on who counts as an American. We have no idea what makes Americans different from anyone else in late-stage GAE because we’ve stripped away every possible characteristic differentiating Americans from non-Americans. The most extreme form of tabula rasa hyper-egalitarianism is the law of the day. There is no difference between a heritage American and the Somali refugee who just stepped off the boat.

Even the internal debates within the “Dissident Right” mirror this desperate quest for a cohesive identity. The Christians want to preserve the old order our ancestors established when founding the country. We’re enraged at the Lefties tearing down everything the country was, and we’re horrified that the Pagans and Vitalists in our own camp want to do the exact same thing. The Pagans and the Vitalists feel the Christians are defending an order which currently seeks the death of all Western Civilization. 2,000 years of Christian leadership has led to our current socio-political disasters, and they want a return to older ways they believe are stronger. We’re desperately crying out for answers to two basic questions: Who are we, and what is our relationship to the past?

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All of this is to suggest that we on the “Dissident Right” need to focus on providing quality answers to those questions of identity; and the best way to answer those questions is through the timeless medium of storytelling. The “Dissident Right” should become a band of wandering troubadours, recounting strange tales and forgotten histories to our countrymen as the dark age envelops us. Rediscovery of the old and beautiful, then creating something new from the ashes, will be the order of our current era.

Anything should be fair game: history, cryptids, myths and legends, poetry, song, music, philosophy, and more. I’d prefer more local culture crafting, but some of us should be dedicated to memorializing the glory of the United States and what it became as twilight fell. As we teach our children these tales of glory and tragedy, the topsoil of something new will build over time through successive generations. What will that culture look like? I have no idea. I’m no prophet. The far future is in the hands of God. I can only pray that I’m planting the correct kinds of seeds, so that my children can play underneath the shade of something healthy. It is enough for me, in the meantime, to dedicate my time to the wonders and tales of my Missouri homeland.  

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Sunday Morning

How sweet to wait within a holy place
    The hour of song and prayer,
To yield the heart unto a spell of grace,
    Serenely brooding like a presence there.

The hymns that live within the organ's heart,
    Flow silent o'er the soul;
Unsounded echoes from the memory start,
    Like a mystic writing from an angel's scroll.

Song of Morning

I come, the maiden Morning, 
With pearls about my hair. 
I am so young, so elfin young, 
And yet have many a task fulfilled
Before the older heads have willed
To call the day begun.
I've clad the hills in purple,
And freshened all the air,
For every bud a flower hung,
A dewy kiss the grasses flung,
And waked the sleepy sun.
I've hurried up the little birds,
And brought the breezes out,
And made them toss the forest's hair
And put the bats to rout.
So now, good mortals, you may rise. 
Come out and greet me, glad of eyes, – 
I've made all fair, all fair.

Blue Dragonfly

Whither away, thou winged flower,
     Instinct with tremulous light and motion?
Art thou a spirit, born of the hour,
    Adrift on the breezes' lulling ocean?

Velvety, quivering thing of light,
    The incarnation of summer splendor,
Is there an aim in thine airy flight,
    A thought that throbs in thy pinions tender?

Thy wavering wings translucent bear
    An azure dream to a lily sleeping, –
An instant poised in the fragrant air,
    And lightly into the fait heart peeping.

Once more away, all pure and soft,
    With prisoned rainbows about the clinging,
Flitting and circling, half-vanished aloft,
    Then dipping low to the stream's glad singing.

O fluttering, gauzy mystery,
    Frail-winged creature, glimmering, fleeing,
Thou art but a tinted ecstacy, –
    A joy with life and a tireless being.

Thou hast no purpose to guide thy flight,
    Nor does thy folly demand forgiving.
Thy wings must beat with thy heart's delight
    In the glorious rapture of merely living!

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The Leaf

The leaflet, greening with a vigored sap,
Ripens its being in the sun and wind;
And then, in some cool hour, it loses hold
Of all that made life dear, and lightly drifts
On breezy current to the deep of grass,
And there with autumn rain disintegrates, –
Giving its mite to richening of earth.
Is that the end? Wait yet the planets' rolling
In Spring, the seeking roots will gather in,
The tender mould our little leaf became,
And merge it into miracle of life
Behold the resurrection of the leaf!
There is no death – mere winter of a sleep.

The Mourner

On Green Mt. Auburn, where dark fir-trees rise,
And poplars' feet the misty fountains lave,
Where shafts that fail to say wh names they save,
Yet full of costly pomp approach the skies, – 
A lowly mound upon the hillside lies.
No pride of woe bids strangers makr this grave;
But near the simple flowers that on it wave,
A marble woman leans, as one who sighs,
And sadly o'er the dead form droops and grieves–
A fond Niobe, weeping her last child.
While up the mourners trail thick ivy leaves
In clinging pity, tender, mute and wild.
Above her pallid brow a vail they raise
To hide her sorrow from the worldling's gaze.

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(List will be subject to periodic updates)

This list of Missouri Governors will be the first of several different lists detailing who held the office, when they held it and for how long, along with their political party and some noteworthy achievements or events that happened during their tenure. The list will be updated regularly as Missouri elects new Governors.

I also intend to catalogue the candidates of other offices in the future, including the Congressional delegations sent to Washington DC since 1820 and state level executive positions. If I’m in a particularly masochistic mood, I might even try and catalogue all the members of the General Assembly for your reading pleasure. However, this will be a long running project.

Notes on Missouri Constitutions and the Office of the Governor

Before beginning the list properly, I want to note a couple peculiarities regarding the Missouri political system. Missouri’s current constitution is not the first but the fourth it has drafted since its founding in 1821. There is the original 1821 constitution, the “Drake Constitution” of 1865, the replacement of the “Drake Constitution” ratified in 1875, and our current constitution which was ratified in 1945. Though the position of the Governor has evolved in some respects, the highest office in the State of Missouri has remained relatively constant.

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Missouri has traditionally required its Governors to be at least thirty-five years old, a citizen of the United States for ten years, and a native of Missouri (Louisiana Territory if you read the 1821 constitution) for seven years. However, the current 1945 constitution changed the requirements to allow younger Governors. Missouri Governors are now allowed to take the Oath of Office at thirty years old but must be citizens of the United States for fifteen years and citizens of Missouri for ten years. However, the vast majority of Missouri’s Governors have been forty or older. Only two Governors in Missouri history have been thirty to thirty five.

The length of time a Governor could serve in office has also changed with the 1945 Constitution. Originally, Missouri Governors could only serve four years in office. They would be re-elected alongside the Missouri House of Representative every two years. However, that changed with the 1945 constitution. Missouri Governors are now allowed to serve two, four-year terms. No Governor can serve more than eight years because of Missouri’s broad interpretation of what a “term” is. If, like the example of Missouri’s current Governor Michael Parson, a Lieutenant Governor becomes Governor mid-way through the previous Governor’s term that still counts as a term for the new Governor.

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The Governor also has the traditional duties assigned to him as the head of Government and the head of State. He is expected to give a “State of the State” address every year in the Missouri House Chamber, and presides over the swearing in of new Representatives and Senators during his term. The Governor also represents Missouri in foreign relations. While Missouri cannot make its own foreign policy, the Governor will act as the designated contact for foreign consulates and dignitaries who seek to discuss policy or politics with Missouri. Governor Parson has been known to take trips to foreign countries to discuss potential business arrangements with private corporations on behalf of Missouri’s government. The same applies to other states in the Union.

The Governor is the commander of the state militia, in this case the Missouri National Guard. Missouri also has legal carve outs for semi-private citizen militias. These semi-private militias must swear an oath to the Governor to obey all the laws of the land and come when called upon to serve their state. The Governor also has the traditional veto powers (including the line-item veto), the ability to appoint judges and the heads of government departments, and the power to commute sentences or pardon criminals.

One final note is the Governor has the exclusive power to recall the General Assembly back to Jefferson City for extra legislative sessions. This is a peculiar power for a peculiar quality of the Missouri General Assembly. The General Assembly is an amateur legislature, meaning Missouri’s legislature is part time. The General Assembly is only in session for half the year from the first Wednesday after the first Monday of January to the last week of May. The Governor can choose to recall the legislature if one of his priorities was left on the chopping room floor, though the Governor will often use this power as a threat instead of using it. Being recalled to Jefferson City, especially during a campaign season, aggravates everyone involved.

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The Governors of Missouri

The Governors of Missouri will be organized in the following fashion: Name [Term] (Party). A fun fact or two will be appended underneath their name for the reader’s enjoyment. I apologize in advance for the length of this list, but I feel it important to bring Missouri political history to everyone.

1.      Alexander McNair [1820 – 24] (None)

a.       His family were ardent Pennsylvania Federalists before moving to Missouri

b.      Successfully opposed William Clark of Corps of Discovery fame in his Gubernatorial bid

2.      Frederick Bates [1824 – 25] (None)

a.       Served alongside Lewis and Clark in governing the Missouri Territory as the Secretary of the Louisiana Territory

b.      Was one of Lewis’ great political rivals, and served frequently as acting Governor when Clark was absent

c.       Died in office shortly after his election due to a strange, short illness

3.      Abraham J. Williams [1825 – 26] (Democrat)

a.       Appointed Governor after Frederick Bates’ death

b.      Served only six months and was rejected by voters during the November special election

4.      John Miller [1826 – 32] (Democrat)

a.       Was the publisher of the newspaper Western Herald, which he sold to James Wilson, the grandfather of Woodrow Wilson

b.      Will be the only Governor to serve two consecutive terms until Warren Hearnes in the 1960s

c.       Strong supporter of hard money policies and opponent to the establishment of the Second Bank of the United States

5.      Daniel Dunklin [1832 – 36] (Democrat)

a.       Veteran of the War of 1812

b.      Ardent States’ Rights advocate and a Jacksonian Democrat, but opposed South Carolina’s attempt to nullify the Tariff of Abominations (1832)

6.      Lilburn W. Boggs [1836 – 40] (Democrat)

a.       Most controversial antebellum Governor due to turbulent Governorship

b.      Lieutenant Governor to Daniel Dunklin

c.       Known for prosecuting the Mormon War and subsequent Expulsion, role in the Honey War

7.      Thomas Reynolds [1840 – 1844] (Democrat)

a.       Ardent Democrat and loyal party man, who even edited the local Democrat rag the Boonslick Democrat for several years

b.      Agrarian. Advocate for states’ rights, limited government, and opposed the Bank of the United States

c.       Committed suicide in the Governor’s Mansion in 1844 due to depression

8.      Meredith Miles Marmaduke [1844] (Democrat)

a.       Veteran of the War of 1812, and served as a colonel of a militia regiment

b.      Staunch Jacksonian Democrat and friend of Thomas Hart Benton

c.       Was staunchly pro-slavery but was a Unionist, leading to splits with his four sons and brother-in-law Claiborne Fox Jackson at the onset of the Civil War

9.      John Cummins Edwards [1844 – 1848] (Democrat)

a.       Popular Jefferson City local and lawyer

b.      Jacksonian Democrat and ally of Thomas Hart Benton

c.       Left Governorship a bitter man due to constant criticism, and felt the office was cursed

10.  Austin Augustus King [1848 – 1853] (Democrat)

a.       Was a judge before receiving the Gubernatorial nomination, and even tried the men involved in the Mormon War

b.      Ardent Democrat, but broke with the party on secession and supporting slavery

c.       Conditional Unionist in temperament, supporting Gamble’s Governorship and Lincoln’s administration

11.  Sterling Price [1853 – 1857] (Democrat)

a.       Son of a wealthy tobacco planter in Missouri’s Little Dixie region (Boone, Chariton, Howard counties)

b.      Allied himself with a powerful group of Southern planters in Little Dixie

c.       Secured a commission from Thomas Hart Benton, and became a brigadier general during the Mexican American War

12.  Trusten Polk [1857] (Democrat)

a.       Comes from a line of politically powerful urban Democrats

b.      Embraced hard currency and proslavery doctrines of rural, populist Democrats

c.       Served two months in office before resigning to serve as the appointed replacement of Senator Henry Geyer

13.  Hancock Lee Jackson [1857] (Democrat)

a.       Served under Stirling Price during the Mexican American War as a captain

b.      Lieutenant Governor of the Pro-Southern, pro-slavery, states’ rights ticket that elected Trusten Polk

c.       Was rejected by voters in a special election

14.  Robert Marcellus Stewart [1857 – 61] (Democrat)

a.       Made his fortune as a land speculator during the Platte Purchase and settled in St. Joseph as a lawyer

b.      Major proponent of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, which laid the groundwork for the rise of Kansas City

c.       Advocate for “armed neutrality” in the impending Civil War

15.  Claiborne Fox Jackson [1861] (Democrat)

a.       Closely tied to the same Little Dixie, Southern planter class as Sterling Price

b.      Part of the radical, Pro-Southern, pro-slavery faction which ousted Thomas Hart Benton from power

c.       Became radically pro-secessionist upon Lincoln’s election, and attempted to raise a militia force in St. Louis and Jefferson City before being ousted by federal troops

16.  Hamilton Rowan Gamble [1861 – 64] (Unionist)

a.       Leader of the moderate Unionists after Claiborne Fox Jackson fled Jefferson City

b.      Was not friendly with the Union military, the Radical Republicans, or Washington DC

c.       Main policy goal was to implement gradual emancipation of slaves

17.  Willard Preble Hall [1864 – 65] (Unionist)

a.       Veteran of the Mexican American War. Created the Kearny code to govern the newly acquired Mexican Territory

b.      Governor of the Unionist provisional government in Jefferson City during the Civil War, and commanded a brigade of the Unionist Missouri Militia  

18.  Thomas Clement Fletcher [1865 – 69] (Radical Republican)

a.       First Missouri native to serve as Governor

b.      Served in the Civil War as the Colonel of the 47^th Missouri Volunteer Infantry with the Union

c.       Offered amnesty for former Confederate soldiers, abolished slavery in Missouri, and repeatedly tried to repeal the test oath qualification in the Drake Constitution

19.  Joseph Washington McClurg [1869 – 71] (Radical Republican)

a.       Rocketed suddenly to fame in the Radical party after organizing the party in Osage County, then suffering Southern retaliation after Southern sympathizers twice burned his mercantile store. Damages were an estimated $150,000 in 1863 money

b.      Fanatic supporter of Charles Daniel Drake, writer of the draconian “Drake Constitution”

c.       Radicals would be destroyed by waves of discontent and the overturning of the “Drake Constitution” in 1875 by the Supreme Court

20.  Benjamin Gratz Brown [1871 – 73] (Liberal Republican)

a.       Became the Editor in Chief of Thomas Hart Benton’s newspaper the Missouri Democrat in 1854

b.      Free Soiler views led to a duel with former Governor Thomas Reynolds, where he was shot in the knee

c.       Notorious for his ever-evolving views on slavery and the Confederacy

21.  Silas Woodson [1873 – 75] (Democrat)

a.       First Democrat elected to the Governorship since the Civil War

b.      Anti-slavery Democrat, and he left Kentucky when it enshrined slavery into its constitution in 1850

c.       Was investigated for financial fraud in 1875, but it was shown his signature on the documents had been forged

22.  Charles Henry Hardin [1875 – 77] (Democrat)

a.       One of eight founders of America’s oldest fraternity: Beta Theta Pi

b.      Attended Claiborne Fox Jackson’s Confederate government in Neosho, and was the only State Senator present to vote no to secession

c.       Known for enacting the 1875 Constitution

23.  John Smith Phelps [1877 – 81] (Democrat)

a.       Widely popular among Missourians and in Washington DC for his service in the US House of Representatives

b.      Missouri named Phelps County after him in 1857

c.       Supported currency reform and supported public education

24.  Thomas Theodore Crittenden [1881 – 85] (Democrat)

a.       Veteran of the Civil War, serving as the Colonel of the Unionist 7^th Missouri State Militia Cavalry

b.      Best known for breaking up the James Gang

25.  John Sappington Marmaduke [1885 – 87] (Democrat)

a.       Son of Meredith Marmaduke, nephew of Claiborne Fox Jackson

b.      Served in the pro-Confederacy Missouri State Guard and in the Confederate Army

c.       Won a close election against six other parties in 1884, and became a social reformer

26.  Albert Pickett Morehouse [1887 – 89] (Democrat)

a.       Founder of the newspaper Maryville Daily Forum

b.      Would serve a little over a year as Governor after the death of Marmaduke

27.  David Rowland Francis [1889 – 93] (Democrat)

a.       A starlet and very popular mayor in the St. Louis Democratic Party

b.      Won the Governorship at 37 years old

c.       Voiced strong support for a gold backed currency in the gold vs silverback debates, and supported President Grover Cleveland

28.  William Joel Stone [1893 – 97] (Democrat)

a.       His stint as Governor was unremarkable, and is better known for his service in the US Senate and as ambassador to Russia

29.   Lawrence “Lon” Vest Stephens [1897 – 1901] (Democrat)

a.       Served as an aide-de-camp on the staffs of Governors John Marmaduke and David Francis

b.      Advocate for a silver backed currency, and was an ally of William Jennings Bryan

c.       Won a sizeable majority of Missouri votes in his Gubernatorial bid as a social reformer

30.  Alexander Monroe Dockery [1901 – 05] (Democrat)

a.       Earned a reputation in the US House as a staunch fiscal conservative, which carried over into his Governorship

b.      Fiscally conservative reforms to spending allowed Missouri to pay off its debts

31.  Joseph Wingate Folk [1905 – 09] (Democrat)

a.       Nicknamed “Holy Joe” because of his Progressive moral reformer in St. Louis and in Missouri government

b.      Gained fame at the state and national level for aggressively destroying St. Louis Democratic political machines

c.       Promoted the “Missouri Idea” as Governor, which desires to put Missouri as a national leader in public morality

32.  Herbert Spencer Hadley [1909 – 13] (Republican)

a.       Hardboiled lawyer and prosecutor from Kansas City, known for aggressive prosecution

b.      Was the highest-ranking Republican during his term as Attorney General [1905 – 1909]

c.       Known for extensive governmental reforms and environmental policies during Gubernatorial term

33.  Elliott Woolfolk Major [1913 – 17] (Democrat)

a.       Officially presented and introduced the current flag of Missouri

34.  Frederick Dozier Gardner [1917 – 21] (Democrat)

a.       His entire political career is his single term as Governor, but did attend many Democratic National Conventions

b.      Eliminated the state’s $2.25 million in debt, and he left office with a state running a $3.5 million surplus in the coffers

35.  Arthur Mastick Hyde [1921 – 25] (Republican)

a.       Recommended extensive reorganization of state government through centralization of the departments

b.      Better known for serving as Herbert Hoover’s Secretary of Agriculture from 1929 – 1933

36.  Sam Aaron Baker [1925 – 29] (Republican)

a.       Big advocate for education reform, but his agenda was mostly foiled by the General Assembly

b.      Better known for his work as the Missouri Superintendent of Public Schools, promoting vocation schools and funding more rural schools

37.  Henry Stewart Caulfield [1929 – 33] (Republican)

a.       Created the Missouri State Highway Patrol and worked to alleviate the strain of the Depression on Missouri’s budget

b.      Better known for forcing all statewide candidates in Missouri to run at-large in the 1935 election because the Republicans gerrymandered the districts, and he vetoed the bill

38.  Guy Brasfield Park [1933 – 37] (Democrat)

a.       Worked to establish state relief programs during the Depression

39.  Lloyd Grow Stark [1937 – 41] (Democrat)

a.       Served in the US Army during WWI in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

b.      Had a fierce political rivalry with Harry Truman and deep connections to the Pendergast political machine in Kansas City

40.  Forrest C. Donnell [1941 – 45] (Republican)

a.       Comes from a long line of Missouri Democrats, but rejected the family party and campaigned for Gov. Herbert Hadley in 1909

b.      Won the Governorship in a massive upset from Democrat and former Sunday school pupil Lawrence McDaniel in 1941

c.       Democrats accused him of “stealing” the 1941 election, but his measured response to the accusation preserved his public image

41.  Phil M. Donnelly [1945 – 49] (Democrat)

a.       Politically powerful Democrat lawyer from Lebanon in Laclede County

b.      Known as a Union buster and a powerful conservative who wasn’t afraid to battle with powerful factions within the Democratic Party

c.       Thought about running for the US Senate, but decided to run for Governor again in 1953, which he won  

42.  Forrest Smith [1949 – 53] (Democrat)

a.       Dogged by rumors he fixed the 1949 election in his favor with elements of the Pendergast Machine. Was investigated by the US Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce because of these allegations

b.      Was still the lead delegate to the 1952 DNC despite controversies and his tainted relationship with the National Democratic Party

43.  Phil M. Donnelly [1953 – 1957] (Democrat)

44.  James T. Blair Jr. [1957 – 61] (Democrat)

a.       Known as a civil rights advocate and formed the Missouri Commission on Human Rights in 1957

b.      Served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Air Forces in Europe during WWII, receiving the Air Medal, Legion of Merit, and a Bronze Star

45.  John M. Dalton [1961 – 65] (Democrat)

46.  Warren E. Hearnes [1965 – 73] (Democrat)

a.       Helped to destroy the political power of the Pendergast machine in Kansas City

b.      Reformer who established Civil Rights in Missouri, strengthened the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and championed public education

c.       Was considered for the special prosecutor’s role in the Watergate investigation

d.      First politician/Democrat in Missouri to be elected to two consecutive terms since John Miller

47.  Christopher S. (Kit) Bond [1973 – 77] (Republican)

a.       Youngest Governor ever elected in Missouri at 33 years old, and the first Republican to serve as Governor in 28 years

b.      Better known for his time in the US Senate as a fiscal conservative and a social moderate

c.       Was caught up in a 2008 controversy around US Attorney Todd Graves, where Bond was implicated in a deal to oust Graves in a deal with the Bush Administration

48.  Joseph Patrick Teasdale [1977 – 81] (Democrat)

a.       Devout Catholic, was inducted into Rockhurst High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame, and attended Benedictine College

b.      Strong advocate for fiscal responsibility (supported the Hancock Amendment) and the elderly

c.       Reinstated the death penalty in Missouri, but later regretted his decision

49.  Christopher S. (Kit) Bond [1981 – 1985] (Republican)

50.  John Ashcroft [1985 – 93] (Republican)

a.       First Republican politician elected to two consecutive terms

b.      Better known for his Senatorial, Attorney General, and lobbying careers

c.       Son Jay Ashcroft is currently the Secretary of State of Missouri

51.  Mel Carnahan [1993 – 2000] (Democrat)

a.       Part of the political dynasty started by prominent Missouri Representative ASJ Carnahan

b.      Governor during the Great Flood of 1993, and called for the (successful) impeachment of Sec. of State Judith Moriarty, who was caught falsifying election documents at the behest of her son

c.       Died in a freak plane crash in 2000 in the final hours of his Senatorial campaign, but is one of the few people ever elected posthumously (first in the US). Wife Jean Carnahan was appointed to fill his term until the November 2002 special election

52.  Roger Wilson [2000 – 01] (Democrat)

a.       Finished Mel Carnahan’s Gubernatorial term upon his death

b.      Appointed Mel Carnahan’s wife, Jean, to fill Carahan’s seat until 2002

53.  Bob Holden [2001 – 2005] (Democrat)

a.       Succeeded Roger Wilson after Mel Carnahan’s death

b.      Oversaw a time of economic turbulence and fiscal restraint in Jefferson City due to the Dot Com Bubble bursting. Many of his reforms didn’t pass due to a heavily Republican state legislature

c.       Almost won a second nomination, but growing unpopularity and resistance from some corners of the Democratic Party (led by Claire McCaskill)

54.  Matt Blunt [2005 – 09] (Republican)

a.       33 years old at Gubernatorial election, making him the second youngest Missouri Governor

b.      Son of former Senator Roy Blunt

c.       Known as a laissez-faire social conservative, but a second term was derailed by an email scandal

55.  Jeremiah (Jay) Nixon [2009 – 2017] (Democrat)

a.       Worked to stabilize Missouri finances in the wake of the Great Recession by cutting spending, creating jobs, and investing in education

b.      Was very popular with Missourians until the Michael Brown riots

56.  Eric Greitens [2017 – 18] (Republican)

a.       Served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and served in the Navy Reserves

b.      A Democrat turned Republican in 2015, Greitens worked to improve public infrastructure, establish Missouri as a Right-To-Work state, and championed socially conservative causes like the pro-Life cause

c.       Greitens was forced to resign after a nasty infidelity scandal and threats of impeachment by the Missouri House Republicans

57.  Michael Lynn Parson [2018 – 2024] (Republican)

a.       Lieutenant Governor of Missouri during the Greitens Administration

b.      Prides himself on being a socially conservative, fiscally conservative farmer from Middle Missouri

c.       Has cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the Missouri budget, is an avid user of the death penalty, and prides himself on banning abortion in Missouri

58. Mike Kehoe [2024 - Present] (Republican)

    a. Lieutenant Governor during the Parson Administration. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri to a single mother, he was a used car salesman before entering politics

    b. Was appointed to the Lieutenant Governorship by Mike Parson, but his appointment was challenged by the Missouri Democratic Party due to legal uncertainties in law

Totals: 57

• Republicans: 12

• Democrats: 39

• Liberals: 1

• Unionists: 2

• Radicals: 2

• None: 2

I recently wrote a piece on the Dissident Right’s discussions over “re-enchanting” the world called “On Sanctification”. Right wingers nowadays are fond of lamenting the death of spiritual life in the West, and they have a right to do so. The soul-sucking materialist malaise modernity replaced its Christian heritage with has finally been acknowledged as a cancer thanks to the heralds of the Woke Revolution. We are in the middle of finding our way back to genuine belief in a spiritual world full of wonders, legends, and power in a process I have called “sanctification”.

Sanctification is simple enough as a concept. The basic idea is that we as Christians are called to make the whole world holy in the name of Christ. However, the idea begs the following question: What are we sanctifying the world from? The very idea of defending what is holy implies there is a force of unholiness in the world, which the believer is battling against. Thus, the dark side of sanctification is revealed. Should the Right choose to sanctify the world in the name of Christ, that means acknowledging the darkness of the world and the human heart. The old gods and their demon servants would creep back into the world.

Jimmy Savile: Satanist and Wizard?

The case of Jimmy Savile highlighted this fact to me poignantly. Morgoth recently wrote a fantastic essay on the dark arts and power of Savile, which was the inspiration for this essay. The article is now paywalled, but I will write a short summary of Morgoth’s work for sake of context.

Jimmy Savile was an English entertainer and comedian, born in 1926 on Halloween Night (how ominous). He was a very curious, eccentric fellow. He kept his hair long, even in his dotage, and made most of his public appearances in an odd hoodie, skinny jeans, and hands festooned with gold rings. Savile was also never without a comically giant cigar stuck either between his fingers or between his lips. He made a name for himself entertaining children on late night TV, but he also had unusual influence with politicians, business leaders, and the established entertainer class. He would regularly chat with Prince (now King) Charles along with other prominent political figures.

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Savile was also known for his charity work. He regularly worked with hospitals to bring relief to the sick and dying. He even worked with the high security institution Broadmoor, where he had unrestricted access to severely ill patients. The British public saw him as an eccentric but harmless old man. Most of the public had grown up with him by the time his popularity peaked in the 1980s-1990s. “Our Uncle Jimmy”, they called him then. He was the odd uncle of the nation. Oh, how the nation would curse their collective naivete decades later, when all was revealed.

Savile’s image as the odd but wholesome duck of the British family would begin to fall apart in the early 00s. Whispers of horrid crimes and lurid advances began to dog his every waking moment. Seedy accusations weren’t new to Savile. Rumors of his activities always plagued him, but they gained traction as his life and power waned. The dam broke soon after his death, and his crimes were thrown in full view of the public. Savile was a monstrous pedophile, necrophiliac, and serial abuser. His promiscuity was an open secret (he was always accompanied by a large train of women), but the extent of his depravity shocked the nation. He used his charity work at Broadmoor and his children’s TV show Jim’ll Fix It to funnel as many hapless victims into his arms as possible. He used his unrestricted access to the morgue at Broadmoor to defile the bodies of deceased patients. He used his trust and rapport with Broadmoor’s staff to attend to female patients as they took baths and changed into their night gowns before bed. Official police reports claim Savile violated some 328 children during his lifetime thanks to his TV show.

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Savile also had a very unsavory relationship with infamous serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, who was condemned to life imprisonment for killing 13 women and girls. Sutcliffe was a known schizophrenic and was placed at Broadmoor for treatment after his conviction. Savile and Sutcliffe spent many days together conversing over tea, and staff at Broadmoor were all suspicious of Savile’s motivations for spending so much time with the serial killer. More ominous was Savile’s later purchase of Irene Richardson’s penthouse, which was one crime scene of Sutcliffe’s many, horrific murders.

Savile’s debauchery went much deeper than his known crimes. Savile was intimately associated with Satanism, the Occult, and Devil worship. Pictures of a younger Savile wearing a literal wizard’s robe adorned with symbolism of Alastair Crowley’s Thelema cult have surfaced recently on the internet. The cult widely focused on worship and elevation of the self to be equal with the creator god. Savile also adorned one of his many cottages with the tagline “JimmyTheBeast666”, a reference that too closely mirrors Crowley’s own tagline: “TheBeast666”. Even his burial has meaning. His grave site is pointing to the exact stretch of sea where Bram Stoker’s Dracula washed ashore. The allusion is not subtle in the slightest. He continues the vampiric allegory with his own macabre bed, adorned with blood red bedsheets, which Savile nicknamed “The Altar”. The list of Occultic allusions is extensive, and Morgoth has this YouTube documentary linked in the article to save time

The Candle and the Veil

After reviewing Savile’s many crimes, his connections to the Demonic and the Occult, and his activities over the years, Morgoth ends the article with a question: Was Savile a wizard? Morgoth himself doesn’t answer, and personally I think he fears the answer. Who wouldn’t fear the answer? The best you can say about Savile is that he was an evil, degenerate, and manipulative man who reveled in his lust and debauchery for his entire life. But wizardry? That charge heaps another, deep layer of evil over his already disgusting misdeeds. That would imply Savile was not only highly charismatic and manipulative, but also sold his soul to God knows what powers for wealth and influence.

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Admitting Savile was a wizard, who held significant power over Britain and individuals in his life, would tear our comfortable modernity open like a wet paper bag. Suddenly spiritual power is a real phenomenon. If spiritual power is real, then it can be used for good and evil purposes. And if spiritual power can be used for good and evil purposes, does that mean entities use the spiritual power in the world for good and evil purposes? Isn’t that effectively an admission that demons and angels exist? And if demons and angels exist, doesn’t that mean their Masters exist?

Suddenly, it seems we’ve opened a Pandora’s Jar of uncomfortable, scary questions. Modernity has firmly resolved to never answer these questions. Modernity can’t answer these questions, or even properly address them. The deal modernity cut with the nations at the end of WWII, of ever-increasing progress and a secular utopia, won’t allow these questions of faith and power to be answered. In truth, Modernity has not put these questions of power and faith in a jar we’ve foolishly opened. Modernity constructed a tent around a candle, told us the space between the candle and the tent walls was the whole world, then forbade us to look outside the tent into the dark void surrounding us. “Ignore the scary growling, mysterious shadow figures, and occasional bloodcurdling scream that comes from outside the tent,” our modernist prophets told us. “Those are merely figments of your imaginations. Nothing exists beyond the tent.”

Previous generations liked the arrangement because the candle was warm, sufficiently bright, and pleasant to look at. Its cheery light brought joy to our forefathers and comforted them enough to ignore the screaming, shadow figures, and nameless beasts they knew wandered outside. Our ancestors even began to doubt the stories their forefathers told them about those same phenomena. Clearly, they can’t exist, otherwise we would see them here in the tent, bathed in candlelight! But that was then. The candle has never been replaced, and it has burned low in recent years. Its light decreased steadily as the wick burned to a stub. Now the things outside the veil, the things we were told aren’t real, are now making regular intrusions into the tent in the dimming light. We catch the occasional glimpse in the dim flickering of the candle, but what we see terrifies us. How many demons, chimeric beasts, and ghosts must we see inside our tent before we recognize that our Modernist prophets lied to us?

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The Return of the Old Gods

To be more straightforward with the point I’m making: I hope “Right Wingers” understand what exactly they are demanding when they claim to desire a “reenchanted” world. Yes, holiness and Godliness would return, but you cannot have God without Satan and sin. If secularism dies and God reenters society after being cast out, demons and Satan also make their return. Our world will grow darker and more profane instead of holier. At least initially in the sanctification project. Evil would be acting openly in society instead of covertly, where its presence can be comfortably ignored. The Jimmy Saviles of the world would come crawling out of the woodwork as Modernity’s scales are lifted from our eyes.

We could no longer ignore the simple fact that evil people and evil powers exist, and those evil powers and principalities have more influence over this corrupt world than God seemingly has. If evil powers and evil principalities exist, then a truly moral person has a duty to fight evil in his own life and society and refuse to give an inch in compromise. All political and social battles will become wars of existential, spiritual belief. The perk of Modernity is these wars of deep belief, which previously wreaked havoc in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, and Africa for centuries, were driven completely underground where their damage was substantially minimized. Without Modernity, those wars of belief will come roaring back after being suppressed for decades or centuries in some cases.

This is the reality “Right Wingers” will get when we demand a “re-enchantment”. I get the feeling we haven’t thought through exactly what that means. God will return yes, and so will true belief, but so will sin, Satan, and crusades. It is as our Lord said in Luke, as He and His Disciples prepare to go to the Garden in Gethsemane:

I hope everyone calling for “re-enchantment” or “sanctification” have bought their sword. I hope they’ve prepared their minds, bodies, and souls for the coming war. A sanctified world, an enchanted world, will be far better than our current paradigm. I’m not under any illusion that modernity is somehow better. But that doesn’t mean a sanctified world will be birthed bloodlessly and without strife. Much suffering and death is ahead of us, and St. Michael’s Prayer better be on our lips as our battle cry when that time comes.

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These are the ruins of the infamous Missouri State Penitentiary (abbreviated MSP going forward). I happened to stumble across this piece of Missouri lore on the Internet first, then as a fascinated tourist while in town for the weekend. The prison itself is an imposing structure, despite the neglect and the passage of time. The oldest parts of the prison are ironically in the best shape thanks to the prisoners themselves. Anything made from limestone or brick was hand quarried and built by prison labor only. Housing Unit 4 (A Hall) is the oldest building on site, dating to 1868. It’s in phenomenal shape despite being 156 years old in April 2024. A Hall even survived a direct hit from a tornado in 2019 when the roof was torn off. The other buildings on site collapsed long ago. It’s a testament to the care and skill of the inmates, and an iron rod shoved into the eye of Federal contractors everywhere, that inmate handiwork outlasted the New Deal buildings erected on site in the 1930s.

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The Bloodiest 47 Acres in America

The MSP holds a bewitching place in Missouri history and legend. The prison has commanded the local skyline for most of Jefferson City’s history from its hilltop outside the city. Construction on the prison started 1834 and took its first inmate, local pickpocket Wilson Eidson, in 1836. The prison itself is a poignant reminder of the cost of civilization. As Missouri grew and prospered, the prison collected more societal refuse within its high walls. The prison was soon stuffed with inmates far beyond its roughly 2,000-man capacity. By 1936, a century after Eidson was dropped off, the prison touted a population of 5,000+ inmates.

The MSP was envisioned as a self-sufficient prison used to power the economic engine of a rapidly growing Missouri. Missouri was a small state at the time and could not afford to fund an expensive penitentiary solely with state funds. So, the MSP innovated around the problem by using something they had in abundance: Free labor. The MSP invited several different businesses and corporations into the Penitentiary to build factories and put the inmates to work. The inmates were paid, but it was always significantly less than the going wage. The MSP would take a slice of the profits from the sales of the product and use that money to fund the prison. Missouri prisoners were soon manufacturing everything from saddle trees to shoes inside the walls of the Penitentiary, much to the chagrin of everyone else in the state. Buying items manufactured with prison labor was socially unacceptable because prison labor undercut honest workers in the market. The prejudice didn’t stop the inmates though. My tour guide told the group that MSP staff ordered inmates to sew false labels onto their product to fool consumers.

The MSP was home to the worst of the worst of Missouri for most of its 168 years of operation. It was maximum security in the worst possibly way. Serial killers, rapists, gangsters, and terrorists were all jammed like sardines onto 47 acres just outside the city limits of Missouri’s capitol. Racial, ethnic, religious, and gang tensions constantly boiled in the prison. There was no segregation by crime. Everyone was “general population” at the MSP. However, Missourians were not the only ones in the facility. The Federal government frequently shipped loads of prisoners to the MSP because the penitentiary was one of a handful of max security prisons West of the Mississippi for most of its operating years.

 The Penitentiary was also chronically understaffed. Overworked and anxious prison guards, knowing they were vastly outnumbered by the most violent criminals in Missouri, were incredibly vicious to the prisoners. I’m guessing the wages of your average prison guard were not nearly enough to put up with 3,000+ terrible criminals daily. Inmates could be beaten to within an inch of their lives for things as minor as bumping into a guard. Privileges were taken away frequently for the most minor infractions. If a prisoner did something horrendous, like stabbing a guard, you could be sent to the Dungeons (yes, they are literal dungeons). Underneath A Hall was a hole in the ground, the walls of which were lined by several 10’x10’, double doored holding cells. In the middle of this hole in the ground was a whipping post. Should an inmate merit a trip to the Dungeons, they would be sent down this hole in the ground to the whipping post. Guards would then strip the prisoner, tie them to the post, and flog them up to 99 times with a cat ‘o nine tails.

Prisoners, with flesh hanging off their backs and barely conscious, would then be escorted to the 10’x10’ holding cells where they would join other troublemakers. The double door design of the holding cells was meant to keep out as much light as possible. The guards would throw you into one of these cells, sometimes with 10 other men, and leave you there for days, weeks, and even months or years. There was no plumbing to speak of, like in the rest of the prison. All you got was a honey bucket (the place where you relieved yourself) and a water bucket. You were fed a diet of cornbread once a day through a slat in the inner door designed, again, to keep out as much light as possible. It wasn’t uncommon for these cells to quickly become diseased quagmires from excrement and blood. Prisoners frequently died in those cells and were only discovered weeks or months afterwards because none of the guards checked the cells frequently. Prisoners often went blind or were sickened thanks to the dark and sitting in their own filth 24/7. The cells were so horrific some committed suicide by smashing their head repeatedly against the stone walls until their skull split.

The combination of massive overcrowding and various tensions coupled with massive understaffing made the MSP into a roiling murder house. Shankings were incredibly common. The corridor going from the mess hall to the administration building was feared by all the prisoners according to the tour guides. Guards were sparingly present there, and it wasn’t uncommon for inmates to murder rivals in the hall, let the body drop, and continue walking away. Few, if any, of those killings were ever investigated since there was usually little evidence to indict a prisoner.

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Prison riots also happened like clockwork at the MSP. The worst was the Riot of 1954, where inmates burned down most of the MSP for over 18 hours. Supposedly the fires were so intense you could see the flames in surrounding counties. Numerous escape attempts were made by the prisoners, but the guards barely contained the attempted breakouts. The whole Missouri Highway Patrol was called in to regain control of the prison. All this and more led to the MSP being called “the bloodiest 47 acres in America” by Time Magazine in 1967. Estimates vary on how many died there, but the official number is somewhere around 1,500. The tour guides don’t believe this. They believe the MSP underreported deaths by the hundreds. Maybe thousands.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The MSP saw plenty of criminals pass through its doors during its long stint as Missouri’s only maximum-security prison. Remember, the MSP was constantly stuffed beyond capacity with criminals. All the worst scum and refuse in Missouri ended up there. If you were anyone in the criminal underworld, you’d probably have heard of the MSP. However, there are some surprising and infamous names associated with the MSP.

Starting on the surprising end of the spectrum of prisoners is a man named James Earl Ray. You’ll recognize Ray has MLK’s infamous assassin if you remember your Civil Rights history, though his stint at MSP was prior to his infamy. Ray grew up a Missouri boy in Ewing. His family was very impoverished and low class, so Ray took a liking to the criminal elements in his hometown and, later, in Mississippi. Ray was doing time at MSP for armed robbery in 1959. He and a buddy held up the local Kroger’s grocery store in St. Louis, and he was sentenced to 20 years at the MSP. His sentence was significantly shorter than ordered. Ray was infamous among the guards for his escape attempts. He tried numerous times to escape the MSP when he finally succeeded in 1967 by slipping into a breadbasket and shipping himself out to one of the MSP’s low security inmate farms. He ran to Mexico where he spent a year before returning to assassinate MLK. When Ray fled the crime scene, he left an MSP issued radio at the scene which is on display to this day in the MLK Jr. museum in Nashville. The radio had Ray’s inmate numbers carved directly into the back. James Earl Ray is marked as “escaped” in Penitentiary records to this day, and he died in prison in 1998 after being handed a life sentence.

Sticking to the surprising end, the name Charles Arthur Floyd may ring a bell to those who have studied America’s most infamous outlaws. “Pretty Boy Floyd” himself served in the MSP in 1925 after pleading guilty to his first offence: A $12,000 payroll robbery in St. Louis. The robbery did not slake his lust for blood and gold though. Floyd would immediately cause havoc again across Missouri and the Midwest upon his release in 1929. Floyd went on a robbery and murder bender for four years, landing on the wanted lists of Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and others by 1933. He even tried to free Frank Nash after his arrest, though he failed, accidently killed Nash, and landed on the Federal most wanted list instead. A nation-wide manhunt ensued as the Federals rabidly searched for Floyd and his men. Floyd was eventually killed in the hunt after evading the Feds for weeks. He was cornered at a farm, and when he tried to flee he was shot on the spot.

In the legendary corner, we have one of the largest men to ever grace the MSP. He was massive in both stature and legend, and he would cast a very long shadow over the worldwide heavyweight boxing field for decades: Charles “Sonny” Liston. Liston wandered his way into the MSP in 1950 on two charges of larceny and two charges of armed robbery. He led a very rough life before landing in Missouri. He was born in Arkansas to a poor, sharecropping family with at least 12 children. Family life was rough with all the children and an abusive father. His mother finally left and gave the children the choice to stay or leave. Liston decided to stay with his father, which was the worst decision he ever made. Liston would carry the scars of his father’s beatings until he died. He would eventually flee to St. Louis, where he was arrested for armed robbery as the “Yellow Shirt Bandit”.

Liston took the arrest in stride though. In fact, he saw being shipped to the MSP as a step up in life with three square meals a day and a roof over his head. Liston’s mammoth size (6’.1”, 16” fist circumference) didn’t go unnoticed in the prison. Fr. Alois Stevens, the manager of the prison’s very popular boxing program, soon asked Liston to try his hand in the ring. Liston quickly learned the ropes and excelled. He used his insanely powerful punch and jab, his size, and his endurance to simply beat opponents into submission in the ring. He was so good that recruiters petitioned Governor Forrest Smith for a pardon in 1952, which the Governor granted.  The Governor only had two conditions for Liston’s release: He be taught to read (this never happened), and that Liston be on his best behavior. Liston would never cross the law again (mostly), and he would excel in his professional boxing career. He would go on to win several championships including the Golden Gloves and the National Heavyweight Championship in Chicago. Ultimately though, Liston would lose to a newcomer to the scene: Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammed Ali. The fight was engulfed in controversy since Ali was supposed to be the 8:1 loser. Some suspected Liston threw the fight to pay off gambling debts he owed the mob. Liston soon retired, and unfortunately died at age 40 to a “drug overdose”.

Conclusions

Visiting the MSP for the first time has given me a new perspective on several areas of my own life. On the lesser end of new perspectives is the surface level fact that my life is insanely comfortable compared to these inmates. Justice was something different back then. Society nor the prison staff cared if you lived or died in that prison, only that you were shipped there and fulfilled your sentence. The harsh treatment of the prisoners, relayed to my group by the tour guides, really made me appreciate my own comparatively luxurious life.

The larger takeaway I want to relay is the importance of the pilgrimage. The Online Right has made a big deal recently of “reenchanting” the world (though I prefer sanctification). We want to bring back mystery, wonder, and the supernatural back into our boring materialist lives. One way we can sanctify our world once again is through learning our local history and digging into the dusty old tomes no one checks out of the library anymore. Book learning is good. I will never diss book learning. However, book learning only goes so far. What is the point of the information you just learned if you never use it?

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Here is where the pilgrimage comes into play. A pilgrimage is defined as a journey undertaken to fulfill a religious duty, to venerate a religious site, or to ask for spiritual power at the site. At the foundation of the pilgrimage is the idea that experiencing a real place connected to your faith is what makes your faith real. Completing a pilgrimage to a holy site not only means that your faith and strength of will were sufficient to complete the journey, but also means you can now touch the divinity or history you sought to experience with your bare hands. The climax of the pilgrimage is communing with the divine in a uniquely intimate way.

We as Right Wingers should take the pilgrim mindset into our lives as we seek to sanctify the world once again. Do you seek to experience and embody your history after learning it, or do you learn your history vicariously from dusty tomes? Sanctification cannot start and end in your own home. You must go out and experience your world. This is why I went to the MSP as a tourist. As a pilgrim. The Missouri State Penitentiary would remain an odd collection of rubble I passed on the highway a couple times and occasionally read about if I hadn’t stopped and communed with the history and legends there. I’m glad that I went and made the MSP a real place instead of an abstract cache of knowledge hidden away in the darkest recesses of my mind. I feel far more connected with Missouri and her history than before. The MSP will be on my list of sites to visit again one day

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Recently, the Right Wing has discussed in depth how we can revivify our communities and Western Civilization. What is required to shake the suicidal ideation holding our nations in its fevered grip? How can we become strong again and defy the encroaching wastelands of chaos?  These questions are very imposing to tackle since they encompass so much. Many of the Online Right’s leading philosophers decided to give a crack at the question recently. I know Prudentialist, Distributist, Morgoth, and Kruptos have written essays on the subject, but I wouldn’t be surprised if others have as well. We’ve seemingly settled on “re-enchantment” as the vehicle by which we will begin the revivification of our civilization.

The Right has defined “re-enchantment” as a return to the land and those who live upon it. It’s an inherently localist and organic idea. We should work within our own communities to forge relationships with our neighbors. We should commune with our neighbors and work for their good instead of spinning our wheels in endless, fake political debates online. We should build up our communities, to prepare them for the impending doom that awaits the Global American Empire. There is much work to be done here, and much fertile ground for change in a positive direction. Our communities have become so neglected that anyone who seeks to build will find no shortage of inspiration.

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We must also get back in touch with the lands we currently occupy. We should learn the local lore of our respective communities. Who were the heroes and legends that shaped our communities throughout history? Where did the great deeds and battles of the elder days occur? Again, there is much fertile ground for projects and research here. I cannot speak for all Zoomers when I say this, but I knew nothing about Missouri’s culture or history until recently. Middle and high school history classes focused solely on US history or world history to the neglect of poor old Missouri. I never learned about the great men or events of my home state, and I’m rather glum about the fact I was not introduced to Missouri’s history until recently.

All of this is to say that “re-enchantment” has been pitched as falling in love with the land and its people again. We should desire what is best for our local communities, our lore, our legends, and our traditions. We should be the stewards of our inheritance and love the cultural treasure left to us. It’s learning to be awed at the deeds and men who came before, no matter how seemingly small their contributions to the great play of history.

However, I can’t help but feel that Kruptos was right in his essay “Why I Hate the Term "Re-Enchantment": “Re-enchantment” simply isn’t the right word, nor the ethos we should pursue. I understand what Prudentialist and Distributist were attempting to do while using “re-enchantment”. They do want to bring a sense of myth, wonder, and adventure back into the world. Kruptos points out, however, that “re-enchantment” smacks of magic. Magic is the first technology according to Kruptos. Magic seeks to artificially harness the spiritual forces of the universe in a rational, methodological way that benefits Man. The promise of magic is you can speak the incantations, do the rituals, and drink the potions and you can tame vast spiritual powers beyond your limited human comprehension. Magic is aligned with modernity and rationality instead of breaking from modernity’s destructive path and returning to something more fundamental. Something more human.

The sentiment is one I certainly agree with. Technology has facilitated the spread of modern magic in New Age religion, Paganism, and witchcraft. As the iPhone has become more prolific, so has magic healing crystals and Himalayan salt lamps. How many rebellious teens have summoned demons into their homes because playing with a Ouija board is considered “cool”, “rebellious”, and “perfectly safe”? The Woke Revolution, largely regarded as a religious movement by Right Wingers, disaffected liberals, and New Atheists, spread like wildfire thanks to the Internet.

However, I think Kruptos somewhat missed the point though I see many elements of what I’m about to say in his essay. Magic isn’t bad because it’s the first technology. Magic is bad because it’s fundamentally evil. Magic, defined as the harnessing of occult spiritual power for the benefit of oneself, is always disordered because it is a rebellion against God. Whenever humanity uses “magic”, it is always incestuously oriented towards our own selfish desires. The ancients would have the local witch curse their neighbor when they felt slighted. If the ancients wanted their love returned by their beloved, they crafted a love potion to enslave the will of their beloved in a prison of lust. The ancients would enthusiastically sacrifice their own children to Moloch to obtain riches, as was evident in Israel after the Kingdom split. Magic is a shortcut around the hard path of Christ. Magic promises instant results if you just speak the incantation, draw the Pentagram on the floor, and offer your soul to the Lord of Lies. We become little gods and reject the Lord out of hand because His True Path does not serve our interests. We believe we know better than the Lord and commit the Cardinal Sin of Pride in our ignorance and sin.

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My previous conclusion may sound like a purely negative argument against using spiritual power to some. This is not my point. Christians can, and should, use spiritual power. The Christian cannot properly fulfill his vocation as a soldier for Christ without the aid of spiritual power. How else will we combat Satan and his minions? Our expressions and use of spiritual power are radically different to the Pagan, the Satanist, and the New Ager. Their expressions of spiritual power are always oriented towards the self, seeking to feed their vices and appetites until their sins consume them. They come to believe they control the power they summon and are not responsible to any higher authority. Ultimately, their pride destroys them. 

The Christian knows that he may have spiritual power, but he also knows that any spiritual power he retains is ultimately God’s. God is the font of all powers and principalities. He could bring His enemies to their knees with a thought if He so chooses. We owe God the power we possess and the graces He gifts us. The Christian therefore orients his use of spiritual power not towards himself but God and His Law. The Christian seeks to further God’s will, to be the instrument the Lord uses to bring about His Kingdom. Our relationship to the Lord is one of submission instead of domination. We worship the Lord and pray to him only. We petition him to redress our grievances, and if the Lord does not fulfill our desires we do not complain. Instead, we glorify His name all the more. The Lord grants the Christian His blessing and His protection in return for worshipping Him. The Lord sanctifies the Christian in other words. He makes the Christian holy or set apart.

And here lies the impulse I believe everyone in this sphere wants but can’t exactly name. The Christian Right doesn’t want to “re-enchant” the world. We want to sanctify the world, to set a piece of it apart as our own. In an age devoid of anything that is distinctly ours, we naturally desire to create a people of our own complete with our own legends, culture, religion, and history. We want to make the world holy, to make disciples of all nations and baptize in the name of the Lord. We want spiritual warfare, to battle of the Godly against the Prince of This World. We want to cast out the demons storm the gates of Hell, for we have been told they shall not stand against us (Matt 16: 16 – 18). Principalities and powers are no match for our God, for Christ, who is the Lord of Lord and the King of Kings. The witches, Pagans, New Agers, Satanists, and all their ilk will inevitably fall before the Lord.

God calls each of us to this holy mission of sanctification, and there is much work to be done. The Pagan religions of yore, explicit or otherwise, are returning to the world. Demonic activity has increased as Christendom has lost power in a secularizing age. The Catholic Church has been on overdrive doing exorcisms, and every year the need continues to increase. Many young people reject the True Faith and turn to idolatry in all its forms, Wokeism or otherwise. Old Night has come upon us, but though we have lost the Christendom of old the mission is still the same: Sanctify in the name of the Lord. Make straight the crooked path (Isaiah 45:2, Luke 2: 4 – 6), for He comes with the sword to deal death and division upon the Earth (Matthew 10: 34 – 38).

The coming years will be hard for all of us, yet I have hope. I have hope that I can build something better for my children, and that I can build up my community towards holiness and virtue. I can sanctify my corner of Missouri and make it my own.

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(This is the first in a series of articles extolling the legends and exploits of the great men and women of Missouri. These great people have shaped whole eras of Missouri history with their works and deeds. I hope to catalogue and retell their stories for us and our posterity.)

The first half of the 1800s was the era of political giants in the United States. It was an aristocratic age, a noble age, and one that feels incredibly foreign to our own. While our era is one of middling men squabbling over the ruins of a dying Empire, theirs was the era of extraordinary men building a nation. They were men of high caliber, of steel and faith far superseding our own mettle. All the noteworthy characters who later played a part in American politics were here: Martin van Buren, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John Calhoun, Daniel Webster, John Quincy Adams, and many more.

To me these great men always seemed far away, isolated to the coasts and the original Thirteen Colonies. They were the most established colonies during this period after all. Missouri had no part in these great debates, though she was quickly becoming a force in her own right thanks to the Louisiana Purchase and the mass migration of many poor citizens from the original Thirteen Colonies. I never considered that one of Missouri’s own sons would be among the great men of the age. Senator Thomas Hart Benton is this Missouri scion.

The name may be confusing if you appreciate American art. Thomas Hart Benton is the name of an influential painter from the 1930s, famous for his social realist art style. To clarify any confusion, yes these are two different Thomas Hart Bentons, and yes both men are related. Senator Thomas Hart Benton is the great uncle to the painter Thomas Hart Benton. The painter Benton I will cover in another article sometime soon, for both men had seismic impacts on the history and culture of Missouri.

Senator Benton’s story as a political operative is a tragic one, and one that does little justice to his character and great influence on Missouri and national politics. His is a story of a meteoric rise from relative obscurity in Tennessee, of a fighter for the people who rarely backed down from a principle he held dear. Though his power and influence were great, one should never underestimate the deceit of smaller, pettier men. He may have reigned in the U.S. Senate for thirty years, but he was ultimately betrayed by his own allies as the political winds shifted in the United States. He could never regain the heights he achieved in the U.S. Senate.

Early Life and Personality

Senator Thomas Hart Benton began his life on a farm in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in 1782. His life was marked by tragedy almost from the outset, for his father died early in his life. Mrs. Benton, despite recently being widowed, did her best to raise her rambunctious son the best she could. She studiously instructed a young Thomas in English, literature, law, and history to prepare him for a law career in the future. He studied diligently and naturally took to education, showing he was a promising and bright lad.

However, Benton would initially blow his first chance at a legal education shortly after enrolling in the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at the age of 16. Benton would be accused of thievery by his classmates after cash went missing from their pocketbooks. After admitting guilt, though some sources imply the confession was forced, Benton would be expelled from Chapel Hill in 1799. He returned home disgraced and embarrassed. Thomas Benton would go back to the family farm, and eventually travel West with his family to the Cumberland River Valley in Tennessee to claim a large farm several years after the Chapel Hill incident.

More of Benton’s personality would begin to shine through during his time on the family farm. Benton was constantly restless with the monotony of farm life. The drudgery and routine were simply not stimulating enough for an intelligent, ambitious man like him. He also developed his characteristic fearlessness and wild determination to defend his honor thanks to the Chapel Hill incident. He soon reentered academic life to teach and study law and was finally admitted to the bar at the age of 24. While mingling with the judges after his day in court, Benton would be introduced to a lifelong frenemy Andrew Jackson. Jackson was initially very impressed with Benton, and both the men wined and dined one another frequently. They became fast friends and political allies, as both Benton and Jackson would run for political office in 1809. Benton was elected to the Tennessee Senate that year and paved the way for many essential judicial reforms to speed up criminal sentencing in Tennessee.

Jackson even helped Benton secure a commission as an officer for the US Army with the outbreak of the War of 1812. Benton dreamed of honor and glory brought by the hell storm of war, but unfortunately for his battlefield dreams his superiors had other plans. Benton spent the War of 1812 as a recruiter, stewing angrily in the background while his friends won honor, wealth, and glory for themselves against the British.

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Falling Out with Jackson and the Flight to Missouri

As the War of 1812 drew to a close, tensions would explode between Jackson and Benton thanks to a very poorly timed duel in 1813. Thomas Benton’s little brother, Jesse, and a close ally of Jackson’s, Major William Carroll, quarreled over something lost to the mists of time. The Major, and Jackson, were anxious to avoid a duel. Jesse Benton, who was about as hot tempered as his big brother, was all too eager for trouble. Tensions culminated in a duel which would be laughed about in Tennessee political circles for years. Jesse Benton shot first and missed. Major Carroll, who was reportedly an incredibly bad shot with a pistol, took his time aiming. Jesse Benton quickly turned around and squatted down to reduce his profile, but ultimately nothing helped. Major Carroll shot poor Jesse square in the butt for his trouble.

The duel occurred without Thomas Benton knowing because he was off in Washington D.C. on a trip at the time. He was horrified to return to a humiliated (and wounded) younger brother whose mere name would prompt immediate giggles at the local tavern. But what really inflamed Thomas Benton’s famous rage was learning that Jackson served as Major Carroll’s second during the duel! Thomas Benton saw Jackson’s heavy involvement as an immense betrayal. Benton rushed to the defense of his hapless brother’s honor and publicly assailed Jackson’s treachery, which guaranteed a fight soon with the equally wrathful Jackson.

The tension finally broke down on September 4, 1813 at Clayton Talbot’s Tavern. Thomas Benton, his friends, and young Jesse Benton had rented a room for the night when Jackson and his associates walked in. Both sides drew pistols and fired. Jackson fell wounded to the floor, blood spurting from his left arm. Daggers were drawn as all involved struggled to kill each other right then and there. The fight was quickly broken up by the other bar patrons. Only Jackson was wounded in the affair, though Benton’s pride was bruised because he fell down a flight of stairs during the struggle. Benton was many things, but athletic and graceful he was not. Benton was built like a brick wall, and he was about as tough and tall too. Benton was one of the few men of the era who could look the mammoth Jackson directly in the eyes. Benton and Jackson would be bitter enemies from thereafter.   

Benton’s political struggle with Jackson would ultimately cause his flight from Tennessee. Jackson was already gaining massive political power and popularity with the citizenry by the time 1815 rolled around. Jackson deifying himself in American legend at the Battle of New Orleans did not help Benton’s political woes. Now Jackson was insufferable as well as politically unassailable in Tennessee so long as his victory remained intact. If Thomas Benton wanted a meaningful role in politics at both the state and federal levels, he would have to move states. Ultimately, that’s exactly what Benton decided to do

Benton’s Political Flowering

Thomas Benton arrived like most immigrants to the shores of St. Louis in 1815; poor, with only $400 in his pocket and the clothes on his back. One may question his judgement in picking Missouri as his new home. Missouri at this time was a backwater, and only ten years removed from its purchase from the Spanish. Missouri was economically undeveloped. The only major settlements in the region were St. Louis, St. Charles, and a couple of hamlets and villages scattered throughout the countryside.

However, there was ample work if you knew where to look; and Benton knew exactly where to look. He had a keen business sense on top of his sharp political wiles. Young lawyers were in high demand in St. Louis during these early years thanks to botched Spanish land claims. The work was incredibly lucrative, especially because he was highly intelligent and an accomplished rhetorician. Lawyering during this time also had a fantastic side benefit: Benton got to hobnob with St. Louis’ best and brightest after work during the weekends. Benton would meet all manner of local politicians, judges, and noteworthy citizens which expanded his contact network for his bigger plans. The Political Itch had smote Benton by this time. His taste in Tennessee had morphed into full blown eczema by the time he reached Missouri.

Benton spent 1815-1820 building up a political power base in St. Louis and expanding his contact network throughout the political centers of the state. He acquainted himself with the large families and power brokers of St. Louis, like Charles Gratiot, John Scott, and Auguste Chouteau, and began forging alliances with major St. Louis interest groups: The fur trappers, the merchant class, and the landed farmers. He was also wise enough to build support among the common people through numerous different policy positions, cunningly calculated to complement his larger objectives and his interest group connections.

He vigorously championed Westward expansion as a tool to open new lands to common farmers and large trapper companies alike. He also favored liberal policy for the confirmation of Spanish land sales to assist common farmers. Benton demanded that government operated fur factories be closed or privatized for the benefit of commoners and traders. He wanted trade opened with the Pacific and Spanish lands to enhance Missouri’s economic productivity. Benton would fight viciously against any green backing schemes for federal money, believing wholeheartedly in the cause of gold and silver backed monies. His vociferous support of gold and silverback currency would earn him his nickname “Old Bullion” in the Senate at the height of his power.  

He communicated his policy positions to his base and interest groups through the best means possible at the time: The newspapers. Benton religiously wrote for the St. Louis Enquirer, one of the big players in the journalism game in Missouri. Benton was even the main editor of the Enquirer for three years until his election to the Senate in 1820. By the time he reached Washington DC, Benton’s political program had broad support from special interest groups and the masses alike. His popularity was so great he was considered the political spokesman of Missouri.

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Election to the Senate

However, Benton’s long years of work cultivating his political persona and vast contact network almost amounted to nothing when the time came. Congress finally passed the Missouri Enabling Act after some significant political wrangling over the slavery issue. Missouri was now allowed to enter the United States as a fully fledged state; but, Missouri needed to organize a state government and draft a constitution in order to enjoy the full benefits of statehood. Forty-one electors were sent to St. Louis to draft a constitution. They were largely the elite of Missouri: Landed gentry and merchant classes who held rather conservative beliefs about state governance. They produced a mirror image of the Federal Constitution with one noticeable exception: The franchise was given to all white men regardless of status or property. All white men of legal age could vote for every open position in the government. Soon, these voters would make their wrath against the framers felt

The first elections were held in August 1820 to elect the General Assembly. The election was a necessary step under the Federal Constitution because the state legislature was supposed to appoint a Senator to represent the state government in Congress. The forty-one framers all went up for election, and voters ousted all but seven of them. This was a political upset unforeseen in Benton’s calculations. Many of the framers of the first Missouri constitution were personal political allies of Benton. He had hobnobbed with them in taverns and at parties across St. Louis. He was even nominated to join the constitutional convention but turned the nomination down. He had decided to throw his hat in the ring for U.S. Senate by this time. Benton was counting on their support for his appointment because he would need most of the General Assembly to approve him. Now that plan was largely in tatters and the General Assembly openly hostile to his political faction. His selection in November was in severe doubt.

Benton spent August, September, and October frantically shoring up his support among the General Assembly through his special interest group allies and his contacts. The members of the General Assembly were responding, seemingly positively, but they were being slow to change their minds. Shortly before the election, Benton and his allies discovered that he was one vote short. The man in question was Marie Philippe Leduc, who hated Benton and intended to vote for one of Benton’s enemies: Judge John B.C. Lucas. While his dislike for Benton was still significant, Benton and his allies eventually convinced Leduc voting for Benton was in his best interest. Leduc had several large Spanish land grants in his possession. Benton was for a liberal policy in recognizing the land claims. Lucas was not. Benton had his one vote after a full night of arguing with Leduc.

Benton’s appointment to the US Senate was capped off by a rather dramatic episode on election day. Representative Daniel Ralls from Pike County was missing from the Chamber on election day. Ralls was a staunch ally of Benton, and his vote was necessary for Benton’s elevation to the U.S. Senate. However, Ralls was terminally ill and too weak to get out of bed. Not that his terminal illness would stop him. Ralls would have his household slaves carry him, on his bed, into the Chamber to vote shortly before the motion. He weakly shouted two names when his turn came: “Barton and Benton!” He promptly died a couple days later from his illness. Benton’s St. Louis Enquirer would fondly eulogize Ralls with a poem comparing him to the English statesman William Pitt. It was official. Benton was elected by a single vote alongside the very popular David Barton.

Benton was now going to the Senate, where his real work would begin.

Bibliography

McCandless, Perry. 1955. “The Rise of Thomas H. Benton In Missouri Politics.” Missouri Historical Review 50 (October): 16-29.

McCandless, Perry. 1956. “The Political Philosophy and Political Personality of Thomas Hart Benton.” Missouri Historical Review 50 (January): 145-158.

Meyer, Duane. 1973. The Heritage of Missouri: A History. St. Louis, MO: State Publishing Co. Inc.

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Many kids hate it here. We are a backwater of a grand Empire, a desiccated heartland with nothing to offer but corn, old religion, and poverty. When these kids think of Missouri, they think of endless cornfields and tiny hamlets in the middle of nowhere. They think of mercurial weather that changes on a dime. The cities we have are thoroughly low class and disgusting. St. Louis and Kansas City are among the worse offenders for murder and crime in the United States. These cities are decayed husks of their former selves. Their wonder and glory are long gone, swept away in a tsunami of globalization and ghettoization.

Compare the rusting ruins of these bygone cities to the wonder, glory, and adventure associated with places like New York and San Francisco. The big costal cities have a stranglehold on the remaining forces of enchantment left in the United States. Their massive size, the towering skyscrapers and the sexy allure of the unexplored, dangerous concrete jungle keeps these cities perpetually in the limelight. Their stardom sucks the lifeblood out of the local. Why would any boy want to explore their town and find the ancient Indian burial grounds in their own back yard? All the shows, movies, and big cultural moments all happen in four places: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Hollywood. That’s where the action is happening, not the backwater town where they grew up.

Those little boys leave Missouri and take the cultural pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They run to New York, the city of swashbuckling CEOs and Mafia wars. They flee to San Francisco, a west coast Eden of white sand beaches and hot babes, where even the lowliest nerd can invent his way into grand fortune and power. “What glory and adventure are there in cornfields and small towns? What riches are there to gain?” these little boys ask. They want to escape their Midwestern prison, with its antiquated religions and suffocating, time-bound tradition. It’s a reasonable question to ask in an age with no adventure to find nor legends to tell. You might as well go where the action seems to be.

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However, I weep for those boys who wander off to the big city searching for adventure and dragons to slay. The big cities in the West and East are not as advertised. They chew up and spit out those same boys who run with open arms to their grandeur. Poverty, drug addiction, crime, and loneliness riddle the ruins of those rotting colossi. Suffering may be a necessary part of the brew of good adventure, but when all you have is suffering suddenly adventure isn’t so appealing as your boyhood dreams imagined.

The lands they leave behind, the lands of their forefathers, already have what they’re looking for. Those little boys are missing a treasure trove of glorious deeds and local legends right underneath their feet. The woods and fields of their homeland would whisper sweet tales of fame and fortune into their ears if they learned to listen. The problem is no one is teaching those same boys how to listen. Few people nowadays know how to listen because that would require quiet prayer, discernment, and humility. We don’t care what the aged men in their rocking chairs say. They can go to Hell for all we care! We’re the Current Thing! We are the latest and greatest and the most moral in History™! Why should we listen to the tales of old men we left behind in their Midwestern prison?

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They never seem to grasp that the wisdom of old men and dusty scrolls is exactly what they’re craving. Those same old men, happily smoking tobacco on the front porch as the sun sets back in that Midwestern prison, hold the key to their deepest desires for love, happiness, and fulfillment. The Progressive is deeply disgusted by that revelation. That revelation atomizes everything they believe. So, they shun that revelation in their arrogance and wickedness. The egregore, the false god they worship, is also a tyrannical god. Once you’ve made the blood sacrifice and entered their wicked cult, there is no turning back. If Baal himself does not destroy you for your transgressions your former friends in the cult certainly will.

But you, dear reader, you don’t need to follow the Progressive to their personal Hell. You have a choice to make. You are being called to adventure in your own backyard. Don’t be under the impression this choice is somehow easy because you don’t have to pack your entire existence onto an airliner. It is not. You will be subjected to abuse and persecution you never thought possible because of a choice so small yet so revolutionary. The modern mind literally cannot comprehend this choice.

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All you need to do is listen. Find those old men in your life, ask, and then listen. The rest will come to you. Ask about their lives, about their forefather’s lives. Ask where they went to Church as a boy. Ask about the great men of their day. Ask where their fathers are buried. Ask about the tales their grandmother told them as she rocked them to sleep at night. Inquire, then listen. You are but a little child, as Christ commanded us to imitate. Find those old dusty old scrolls and ragged tomes of local history in your library. Read them and cherish them even if you don’t understand all of what you read. Those questions you have are your next adventures, the next quests you will undertake to find answers. Make the pilgrimage to the sites you discover. Find the statues of the great men of the past and learn their legends and lore. Find the significant locations and why they matter to you and your locale. It’s simply not enough to say “I’ve been there” like you’re checking boxes off a checklist.  

You will escape your Midwestern prison, but not because you fled it. You will escape your Midwestern prison because you have learned to love it. You will fall head over heels in love with its myths and legends, its history and its culture. The chains will fall off because they’re unique: These chains are imagined. Yes, there will still be suffering. Yes, there will still be a lot of work to do. Much of the work we will undertake will not be finished by us, but these tasks were meant for our children to finish. They must have their own adventures, right? As Christ himself says:

Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened; I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon yourselves, and learn from me; I am gentle and humble of heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11: 28-30

(This is one article of many future articles I will write on political and social issues. The point of these is to provide background for future works, and to act as a journal of my thoughts over the years as I grow.)

The recent spat between Governor Abbott and the Biden Administration on the Eagle Pass incident reignited the perpetually smoldering ember of political discourse: The Second American Civil War. Many were wondering what Governor Abbott would do if the Feds simply ignored his orders. Would they obey? Would they refuse? Would Texas shoot the Feds if they refused to leave? The United States held our collective breath for a whole week as Texas and the federal government had their staring competition. The Feds ultimately blinked first, but that didn’t stop a wave of online commentary about a Second American Civil War.

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I remember similar discourse occurring as early back as the Trump campaign in 2015, when Democrats were fearmongering through the press that Trump would ignite a Second American Civil War on election night if he lost. The Obama administration at the time also released a report from some Deep State organ (not sure which one) indicating that further political polarization and rising extremism will heighten the risks of a Second American Civil War occurring. I’m sure there are more examples occurring before then, but 2015 is as far back as my political memory goes because I’m a Zillennial.

The press and social media don’t help anything either. The press constantly fearmongers on how a Trump victory in the polls in 2024 would mean ThE EnD Of DEmOcRaCY As wE kNoW It!!!1!. We expect this kind of hyperventilating pearl-clutching from the press. We know they faithfully serve their masters in Washington DC. The press would love nothing more than to push the Right into doing something phenomenally stupid. Then they can cover the feds arresting the political opposition of the Regime and their lackies as justifiable.

What bothers me more about our national discourse is the retardation social media creates around a “Second American Civil War”. I don’t have Twitter (I refuse to get back on it), but I can imagine the chest pounding coming from Red State Boomercons. I’ve seen it before, after all. BasedLolbertarianPatriot1776 was probably spouting off about how Red America could kick the butts of any Blue Stater who dared cross into Red territory. “The Tree of Liberty needs to be watered again!” he’d cry from behind the safety of his laptop. I imagine online discourse was a member measuring contests between Red Staters and Blue Staters on who could beat the pants off the other side harder if the Abbott-Fed affair became a shooting match. Then there’s the political commentariat. A whole class of political opinion writers and essayists exists to blow up every little spat between the states and feds into the next Fort Sumter. Tim Pool is the primary offender for this sort of nonsense. Pool predicts a coming Second American Civil War every single podcast episode over even the tiniest crack in Federal power.

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I find these measuring contests tiresome and cringe for numerous different reasons, but the first among them is we do not want a civil war! Civil wars are always traumatic, bloody, and violent affairs. Missouri is the ultimate example of how horrific civil wars can become when insanity overtakes the people and their leaders. Everyone knows that Missouri, as a border state, was sharply contested between the political spheres of influence of the North and South. Both wanted Missouri to enter their sphere of influence to gain a strategic and political advantage over the other. Missouri’s population, natural and economic resources, and access to the Mississippi River made her a prime target for both the North and South during the Civil War. Missouri’s burgeoning rail network could help shuttle troops and supplies to the front. Missouri’s lead mines, gunpowder mills, and wheat fields could feed supply both sides with ammunition. The Mississippi River was an essential part of the North’s Anaconda Plan. Conflict in Missouri was inevitable if the Civil War went hot, as far as I’m concerned.

However, I don’t think North or South understood how barbaric the War would become in Missouri. Large, organized campaigns as seen in the East heralded the coming of the Civil War to Missouri, but those large armies quickly disappeared after the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. The large armies of Generals Lyon and Stirling Price were replaced by marauding bands of bushwhackers, Jayhawkers, and thieves intent on taking anything not nailed down or burned after the guerrillas came through town. The thieves and guerillas were often one and the same. Reprisal killings were incredibly common. Neighbors would often kill one another for not being sufficiently loyal to a cause. Murders and disappearances among neighbors became rampant during these years, as did revenge killings and duels. Federal troops also did not help their case in Missouri. They would frequently arrest and execute anyone they suspected of harboring Confederate sympathies, which often turned the local population against the cause of the Federal government.

The feud between the Jayhawkers and bushwhackers in Bleeding Kansas is well known, but the conflict didn’t stop when the Civil War started. Jayhawkers and bushwhackers were still killing one another throughout the Civil War, with innocent civilians often getting caught in the crossfire. Whole towns were razed thanks to savage fighting. Jayhawkers raided Missouri’s Osage Valley in the opening year of the Civil War, pillaging and burning the towns of Butler and Harrisonville alongside numerous other villages. The razing of these villages and towns was a clear act of wanton revenge for years of guerilla activity in Kansas. The bushwhackers retaliated in kind. The burning of the Osage Valley was used as justification for many raids by the bushwhackers, including the burning of Lawrence, Kansas in 1863.

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Federal troops began arresting the wives and children of known Southern sympathizers and bushwhackers to tame the region. Among them were the families of well-known bushwhackers William Quantrill and “Bloody Bill” Anderson. The Federals took these innocents to Kansas City for processing, but the Kansas City jail collapsed on top of the women and children on August 13, 1863. Five women died, including Anderson’s niece. Quantrill and Anderson were understandably infuriated, but they expressed their anger by razing Lawrence, Kansas and killing more innocent people on August 21st. The bushwhackers shot every male in the town who could hold a gun, then pillaged and burned the town. Between 160 and 190 men and boys were dead when the bushwhackers left town, and Lawrence was left a smoking husk.

The burning of Lawrence, and years of vicious guerilla war, would result in Order no. 11. Issued by Union General Thomas Ewing, Order no. 11 effectively deported several thousand Missourians from Jackson, Cass, Bates, and northern Vernon counties. These innocents were told they had a fortnight to pack their belongings and be gone, or Federal troops would deport them by force. Few would return to their homes after the war because the Federals burned all the fields and empty homesteads. The whole area became known as the “Burnt District” because there was nothing left but ash.

All this activity and more left deep scars in Missouri and on her people, even to this day. Missouri needed years to recover from the economic damage done, but the social and political scars are still everywhere. Confederate sympathies are very much alive in Missouri, especially south of the I-70 corridor. Confederate flags are a common sight to see in Southern Missouri, and many of the locals are proud of their Confederate heritage. Monuments and statues exist all over the state commemorating the fallen on both sides of the war. Many small towns, if they existed during the Civil War, have many Confederate and Union graves in their cemeteries. The scars of the Civil War are everywhere.

The Second American Civil War is not something we should wish for because civil wars are not about government or ideology or principles. Civil wars always devolve into brother wars. Civil wars are always an act of fratricide, when brother kills brother in the name of an insane god. Killing your countrymen lays a curse on the land, and Able’s murder is replayed with every death and atrocity committed against your neighbor. The only thing beating your chest does in these online debates is show your own flippancy. The previous civil war was devastating enough. Why should we wish for another one? I pray it never comes, no matter how tyrannical or insane the federal government becomes.

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