St. Louis in the 1870s: From Revolution to Reaction

3 units

This course will examine the decade of the 1870s in the United States through the lens of events and occurrences in St. Louis that helped to shape the city and the nation. St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the United States at the time (or claimed to be), and its central position astride the nation's major travel arteries seemed to ensure its continued growth and well-being. However, the growth of Chicago to the north worried many St. Louis business leaders, and the rise of the railroads -- in combination with the punishment of St. Louis as a southern city in the aftermath of the Civil War -- caused many to question whether the city's future was indeed a rosy one. Meanwhile, St. Louis wrestled with its own internal demons of race and civil rights, political corruption, and labor strife.