Minority Politics in St. Louis

History

Knowledge of the background of St. Louis aids in understanding minority politics within the city.  This section will give you sufficient background information on St. Louis' economic, demographic, political, and social development of the city. 

Economic History

St. Louis was founded in 1764, when Pierre Laclede was granted the land from King Louis XI of France.  At its origins, St. Louis began as a fur-trading post.  By 1765, construction of the St. Louis village began, and most of its settlers were from France, hoping to participate in the fur-trade business.  After Lewis and Clark left on their trek to expand the west in 1804, pelts brought in an average of $203,000 a year; one in every three dollars was generated in the fur-trade business.  Pelts were shipped all over the nation, so when the first paddlewheel steamboat (invented in St. Louis in 1817) and the railroad, connecting the city with the east and the west (c.1850-1870) were introduced, they played an important role in their transportation.

The St. Louis World's Fair (1904), which was held in Forest Park, captured global attention as it displayed various technological developments.  Afterward, the area's economy stagnated because of the economic decline of rural Illinois and rural Missouri, which were major consumers of the city's goods and services.   St. Louis' economy was then increasing until prohibition in the 1920's, which severely hurt their economy because it forced them to shut down its important breweries, including Anheuser Busch, the nation's largest malt-beverage producer.  Also, the Great Depression of the 1930's further damaged the city's economy.  

Today, St. Louis is important for its large automobile production.  Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler all have assembly plants located within the city.  Furthermore, since it is located on the Mississippi River, it is a major transportation hub for ships, trucks, planes, and trains.  Simply put, St. Louis has had excellent transportation facilities since its founding.    

 

Demographic History

While the first settlers to inhabit the city were predominately French, immigration to St. Louis increased from 1840-1860 by Germans (escaping the German Revolution) and by Irish (escaping the Irish Potato Famine).  Following America's Civil War, there was a wave of immigration into the city that brought people from Italy, Lebanon, Serbia, Syria, and Greece.  By 1890, St. Louis was the nation's fourth largest city (population-wise).  

In recent times, however, St. Louis' population has declined.  In 1950, the population was 857,000; however, in 1990, the population was only around 400,000 (For current statistics on demographics, see our demographics page).  This decrease is caused by the shift of white-collar workers to the metropolitan cities surrounding St. Louis.  Contrary to this decline though, is the immigration of refugees since the 1960's from the Caribbean, Haiti, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.  These minority groups are inhabiting St. Louis because of changes in U.S. policy for the immigration of refugees.  Since the U.S. has become essentially a "world stage" for refugees, our nation is experiencing more ethnic and racial diversity in large cities such as St. Louis

Before and during the Civil War, there were many African-American slaves in St. Louis; however, there were also some free African-Americans, since Missouri was a state that bordered the North and the South parts of the country.  Many of the slaves were urban slaves who lived on plantations and worked the fields.  Many other slaves were "rented out" on a temporary basis for skills such as blacksmithing, printing, horse maintenance, and carpentry.  These slaves were considered "free."  Since both free African-Americans and African-American slaves both walked the streets of St. Louis, the intermingling of the free and the slave people heightened the controversy of abolition, since there was no justification for why some where free and why some were slaves.  Also, the fact that slave auctioneering was common in the streets of St. Louis (during the 1850's), prompted some 2000 "hecklers" to protest against slavery (1961).  This protest on the courthouse steps permanently ended the practice of auctioneering.  After President Abraham Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery was abolished in Missouri, as with the rest of the nation.  Today, African-American's are still prevalent in the city and make up over 50% of St. Louis' population.  

However, the Emancipation Proclamation, like in other parts of the country, did not end racial mistreatment against African-Americans living in St. Louis.  In 1917, 39 African-Americans in St. Louis were killed, after taking the jobs of white people who were on strike at an aluminum plant.  In 1918, St. Louis, anxious to avoid any future racial riots, organized a local branch of New York's organization, The Urban League.

 

Political History

    As stated above, the history of St. Louis began when Laclede was granted the land from King Louis.  Laclede actually named the city after Kings Louis XV and St. Louis IX.   However, since France ceded the land to Spain in a secret treaty in 1763, Laclede's village was actually founded on Spanish Territory.  When the French gained St. Louis back in 1800 under another treaty, they didn't have enough time to maintain control over it before it was acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  Transferring it to Louisiana's territory gained Louisiana a St. Louis seat of government until 1821 when Missouri became a state and claimed it.  Another important event in the city's history occurred in 1876, when St. Louis escaped from the jurisdiction of St. Louis county and became an independent city, part of no county.  According to St. Louis sources, democrats have dominated the government since 1949.  To learn more about the governmental structure of the city, see our government page, and to learn more about the issues important to St. Louis,  visit our issues page.  

 

Social History

St. Louis is rich in social culture.  The city offers the the Missouri Botanical Garden (1860), the St. Louis Zoo (1876), the St. Louis Science Center (1856, renovated 1992), the St. Louis Art Museum (1909), and the Missouri Historical Museum.   Forest Park, which is home to the zoo, art museum, history museum, and science center, has a great deal of entertainment including a golf course, an outdoor stage where operas and concerts are held in the summer, a skating rink, playgrounds and boat rides.  It also rents out the World's Fair (mentioned above in the economics section) pavilion daily.

One of the most well-known objects in St. Louis is the Gateway Arch.  Designed by Eero Saarinen, this stainless-steel structure is the nation's tallest momument (632 feet), and it  commemorates the historical role St. Louis played as the "gateway to the west."  Built on an old commercial district, the project of the arch aimed to rehabilitate the river area around the run-down neighborhood.  Luther Ely Smith and James Ford raised $250,000 for the project in 1945, and in 1958, the construction of the Arch began.   Completed in 1965, the Arch drew many tourists and inhabitants to the city, increasing the economy of St. Louis.  Today, the Gateway Arch enjoys the most tourism than any other sight in St. Louis.  It still plays an important role in St. Louis' economy.  For more information on the Arch, click here

Another aspect of St. Louis life was the popularity of sports.  St. Louis houses professional teams such as The Blues (hockey), The Rams (football), and The Cardinals (baseball).  When asked about St. Louis' history, many locals will remember the World Series of 1926 when the Cards won the game by throwing out Babe Ruth on his way to second base.  1965 was also an important year for St. Louis because a new stadium, Busch Stadium (owned by Anheuser-Busch) pictured to the left.

Miscellaneous facts about St. Louis

• Total land area:  61 sq. miles located nineteen miles on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

• The topography rises gently westward a 465-foot elevation.  

• All of the city has been industrialized, with no rural areas within the city boundaries.  

• Temperate seasons make the summers hot and humid and the winters cold but generally short.  Spring and fall are mild.  

• The average temperature in July is 79 degrees Fahrenheit; the average temperature in January is 29 degrees Fahrenheit.  

• Precipitation averages 34 inches annually.  

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This site was created for Dr. Rodd Freitag's Pols 350 Group and Minority Politics course at the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire.