Women in Missouri History: In Search of Power and Influence

April 01, 2019 Posted by: Tom Dewey, Librarian

Women in Missouri History: In Search of Power and Influence, edited by LeeAnn Whites, Mary Neth, and Gary Kremer. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2004.

Women in Missouri History is an exceptional collection of essays about the history of women in Missouri from the period of colonial settlement through the mid-twentieth century. The women featured in these essays come from various ethnic, economic, and racial groups, from both urban and rural areas, and from all over the state.

The authors tell the women’s stories through biographies and techniques of social history, allowing the reader to learn not only about the women’s individual lives, but also about how various groups of women shaped the history of the state.

Some of the groups covered in the book include:  French women in colonial Missouri, German-speaking women in nineteenth-century Missouri, and the Sisters of St. Joseph in Missouri.

Also included in the book are Virginia Minor, and her husband Francis, who worked for many years to advance women’s rights in Missouri. Virginia’s primary cause was suffrage. In 1872, Virginia and her husband jointly sued the city registrar for refusing to allow Virginia to register to vote in the state. Their case was initially heard at a bench trial in St. Louis’ Old Courthouse, where it was struck down. The Minors’ case later advanced to the United States Supreme Court- where it lost on appeal. Undeterred, the Minors continued to work for many years for women’s rights.

When Virginia Minor died in 1894, the local papers tried to downplay her activism. The author states, “According to the press, she was always the dedicated wife and mother and only belatedly was an advocate for women’s rights. Those citizens of St. Louis who knew the Minors, however, knew better. Virginia Minor was not a public advocate for women’s rights only insofar as it did not detract from her role as wife to Francis Minor. In fact, her marriage and her husband stood at the center of her advocacy of rights for women.”

The essays in this collection address questions that are at the center of current developments in the field of women’s history. Providing an excellent overview of the history of women in Missouri, this collection makes a valuable contribution to a better understanding of the state’s past.