III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 350 

Recognizing and celebrating the 200th anniversary of the entry of Missouri— 

the ‘‘Show Me State’’—into the Union as the 24th State. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 9, 2021 

Mr. BLUNT (for himself and Mr. HAWLEY) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing and celebrating the 200th anniversary of the 

entry of Missouri—the ‘‘Show Me State’’—into the 

Union as the 24th State. 

Whereas the 200th anniversary of the entry of Missouri into 

the Union as the 24th State marks a time for Missourians and all people of the United States to remember the 

past and celebrate the future, including recognizing the 

significant contributions of the State of Missouri to the 

culture, governance, and intellect of the United States; 

Whereas Congress and President James Monroe approved 

statehood and entry into the Union for the Missouri Territory on August 10, 1821, making it the Nation’s 24th 

State and the ‘‘Gateway to the West’’; 

Whereas the City of Jefferson, lying on the Missouri River, 

was named the Missouri State capital in 1821 for PresiVerDate Sep 11 2014 17:32 Aug 10, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR350.ATS SR350

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dent Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United 

States; 

Whereas the State served as the ‘‘Gateway to the West’’, 

symbolized by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, 

representing a new beginning for so many people in the 

United States and marking the beginning for Lewis and 

Clark, the Pony Express, the Oregon and Santa Fe 

Trails, and individuals venturing West to test their luck 

in the Gold Rush; 

Whereas, despite the State’s role in some dark moments in 

the history of the United States, Missouri proves that we 

can have a brighter future, as evidenced by the fact that 

as commander of the District of Southeastern Missouri, 

General Ulysses S. Grant utilized the Mississippi River to 

combat Confederate forces, and Francis Preston Blair, 

Jr., who later became a United States Senator, fought 

for the Union and organized the protection of Jefferson 

Barracks in St. Louis, which contributed to the Confederate defeat in Missouri; 

Whereas General John Pershing, born in Laclede, Missouri, 

was president and first captain of the West Point class 

of 1886, became a 5-star general and commander of the 

American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during World 

War I and served as the Chief of Staff of the United 

States Army from 1921 to 1924; 

Whereas Missouri is the birthplace of President Harry S. 

Truman, the 33rd President, who— 

(1) served as a captain in World War I, a United 

States Senator, and Vice President before succeeding 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt; 

(2) oversaw the end of World War II and rocketed 

the United States to the international stage through his 


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foreign policy, including the founding of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(‘‘NATO’’) and the recognition of Israel; and 

(3) promoted the advancement of civil rights by desegregating the United States Armed Forces and forbidding racial discrimination in Federal employment; 

Whereas, in Fulton, Missouri, Winston Churchill drew the 

line between free Western democracies and the growing 

threat of communism in his famous ‘‘Sinews of Peace’’ 

speech, where he popularized the term ‘‘Iron Curtain’’; 

Whereas Missouri is the home to the national treasures of 

Alley Mill and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the 

patchwork of the Mark Twain National Forest, the 

Sainte Genevie`ve National Historical Park, and the Lake 

of the Ozarks, all of which are cherished by Missourians; 

Whereas the unique terrain of forested hills, wetlands, resource-rich soil, and vast farmland and the critical Mississippi, Missouri, and Osage Rivers established the 

‘‘Show Me State’’ as a leader in agriculture and commerce and a dominant producer of soybeans, corn, cotton, rice, cattle, swine, and poultry in the United States 

and as a home to nearly 95,000 farms that cover 2⁄3 of 

the State; 

Whereas Missourians have shown their unwavering patriotism 

to the United States through their dedicated service and 

selfless sacrifice for the protection of our Nation, with 

more than 410,000 veterans and 36,000 active duty and 

reserve personnel in the State; 

Whereas Missouri is the site of the National World War I 

Museum and Memorial, which began when leaders in 

Kansas City, Missouri, raised more than $2,500,000 in 


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just 10 days to commemorate the men and women who 

served in the war, and the site was dedicated by the Allied commanders in 1921, and recognized as the National 

Museum and Memorial by Congress in 2014; 

Whereas, in the 200 years since the birth of Missouri as a 

sovereign State, the citizens of Missouri have made many 

significant achievements in agriculture, art, athletics, industry, literature, music, science, and many other important areas; 

Whereas St. Louis debuted and popularized to the world 

groundbreaking and life-changing innovations while it 

was host to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, 

where the world marveled at— 

(1) the ice cream cone; 

(2) the radiophone, the first wireless telephone; 

(3) the telautograph, the precursor to the modernday fax machine; 

(4) the X-ray machine; 

(5) the personal automobile; 

(6) the first public airship flight in the United 

States; 

(7) Dr. Pepper; 

(8) peanut butter; and 

(9) iced tea; 

Whereas Missouri is also known for different types of barbecue across the State, the roots of which can be traced 

back to the early 1900s in Kansas City, Missouri when 

Henry Perry opened the city’s first barbecue restaurant, 

later passing the legacy on to Charlie Bryant; 

Whereas Missouri’s barbecue history also includes other 

‘‘greats’’ such as George Gates and Otis Boyd; 


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Whereas, the birthplace of great minds, Missourians have 

contributed to our society and economy through technological and agricultural advancements, including— 

(1) James Ferguson, born in Wakenda, Missouri, an 

inventor and entrepreneur who is best known for creating 

the Liquid Crystal Display (‘‘LCD’’); 

(2) Jack Kilby, born in Jefferson City, Missouri, an 

engineer who invented the microchip and was a corecipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics; 

(3) Bill Lear, born in Hannibal, Missouri, an inventor and businessman who created the Lear Jet, the first 

mass produced business jet; and 

(4) George Washington Carver, born in Diamond, 

Missouri, whose contributions to the agricultural industry 

changed the way crops are grown; 

Whereas Missouri, home to Branson, known for its shows and 

live entertainment, has produced numerous renowned artists in the areas of music, writing, acting, television, 

radio, and visual art, including— 

(1) Maya Angelou, born in St. Louis, Missouri; 

(2) Yogi Berra, born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri; 

(3) Chuck Berry, born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri; 

(4) Walter Cronkite, born in St. Joseph, Missouri 

and raised in Kansas City, Missouri; 

(5) Walt Disney, raised in Marceline, Missouri and 

Kansas City, Missouri; 

(6) Thomas Hart Benton, born in Neosho, Missouri; 

(7) Rush Limbaugh, born and raised in Cape 

Girardeau, Missouri; 

(8) Phyllis Schlafly, born and raised in St. Louis, 

Missouri; 


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(9) Mark Twain, born in Florida, Missouri and 

raised in Hannibal, Missouri; 

(10) Tennessee Williams, raised in St. Louis, Missouri; and 

(11) Porter Wagoner, born and raised in West 

Plains, Missouri; 

Whereas Missouri is world renowned for its rich jazz and 

blues history, which began in the 1920s when artists 

from around the country were attracted to Kansas City, 

Missouri during Prohibition and the Depression years, 

and includes legends such as Count Basie, Andy Kirk, 

Charlie Parker, Joe Turner, and Mary Lou Williams; 

Whereas Missouri was the host of the 1904 Summer Olympics—the first Olympics held in the United States; 

Whereas Missouri is the birthplace of the Negro National 

League, the first successful, organized, professional African-American baseball league in the United States that 

not only changed the game of baseball, but also our Nation, and is the home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City; 

Whereas the major league sports teams of Missouri exhibit an 

impressive level of athleticism and sportsmanship and 

have won several national championships, including— 

(1) the Kansas City Chiefs in 1970 and 2020; 

(2) the Kansas City Royals in 1985 and 2015; 

(3) the St. Louis Blues in 2019; and 

(4) the St. Louis Cardinals in 1926, 1931, 1934, 

1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, and 2011; 

Whereas August 10, 2021, marks the 200th anniversary of 

the statehood of Missouri; and 


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Whereas this bicentennial is a monumental occasion to celebrate and commemorate the achievements of the great 

State of Missouri: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate recognizes and celebrates 

2 the 200th anniversary of the entry of Missouri into the 

3 Union as the 24th State. 

Æ 


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