What might have happened if Missouri had seceded from the Union? The consequences could have been immediate and tragic.Our economy could have been destroyed, since most of the markets for the things we grew or manufactured were in the north. Eastern capital developed and maintained our mines and railroads. Some economic historians think slave holdings would have disappeared entirely or quickly deteriorated because many of those slaaves would have fled to free states around us. Missouri might have become, like Virginia, a major battleground of the war. Of course, the state did suffer during the war. But a group of ninety-nine men, taking extraordinary action, blocked its destruction.
