At the time the population and state of Missouri were relatively neutral in the dispute between North and South, but Governor Claiborne F. Jackson was a strong Southern sympathizer, as were many of the state legislators.
På det tidspunkt var befolkningen i staten Missouri forholdsvis neutral i striden mellem nord og syd, men guvernør Claiborne Jackson var en stærk sympatisør overfor syden, og det samme var mange statens lovgivere.