Skip to main content

Why is Missouri Called the Show Me State?


I have always wondered why Missouri is called the Show Me state. After a tiny bit of digging, I unearthed a marvelous story behind Missouri's mysterious sobriquet. Note: The slogan is not official, but is common throughout the state and is used on Missouri license plates.

The most widely known legend attributes the phrase to Missouri's U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1897 to 1903. While a member of the U.S. House Committee on Naval Affairs, Vandiver attended an 1899 naval banquet in Philadelphia. In a speech there, he declared,
I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.
Regardless of whether Congressman Vandiver coined the phrase, it is certain that his speech helped to popularize the saying.

The use of Vandiver's phrase, "show me," during his stirring banquet speech may have been a coincidence.  But if you ask me, it was more likely a targeted political strategy employed to spin a degrading joke circulating around Washington about Missourians. Legend also states that the term "show me" was first used as a term of ridicule and reproach (in reference to Missourians) in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado. A miner's strike had been in progress for some time in the mid-1890s, and a number of miners from the lead districts of southwest Missouri had been imported to take the places of the strikers. The Joplin miners were unfamiliar with Colorado mining methods and required frequent instructions. Pit bosses began saying,
That man is from Missouri. You'll have to show him.
However the slogan originated, it has since passed into a different meaning entirely, and is now used to indicate the stalwart, conservative, non-credulous character of Missourians.

Resources:
  • Rossiter, Phyllis. "I'm from Missouri--you'll have to show me." Rural Missouri, Volume 42, Number 3, March 1989, page 16.
  • Official Manual of the State of Missouri, 1979-1980, page 1486.


p.s. I love Colorado.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Peter Jensen BrownWed Jul 16, 03:03:00 PM MDT

    You might be interesed in this: http://esnpc.blogspot.com/2014/07/show-me-tunnel-how-missouri-became-show.html

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please share your thoughts.

Popular posts from this blog

Rummi-"CUB" vs. Rummi-"CUBE"

The "Rummikub" Pronunciation Debate Affirmative Constructive: "Cub" For years, I have been a firm advocate and defender of the pronunciation, Rummi-"CUB".  The game box I grew up with spelled it, Rummicub  on the box. However, other productions of the game have variant spellings: Rummykub , Rummy Kube , Rummy Tiles , etc.  Based solely on box spelling, the game's true pronunciation is open to interpretation. Therefore, Rummi"cub" is equally acceptable to any other given pronunciation. Negative  Constructive : "Cube" My opponents argue that since the game originated over seas, we ought to respect and maintain its original pronunciation. Affirmative Rebuttal: Americanization of the Term When the game was brought to America and given Americanized rules, its name was also Americanized. Pronunciation loyalists then counter my rebuttal with, "there are lots of adopted foreign words that have retained their original pron
5 comments
Read more

The Power of Dim Lights

I want to be an under shepherd for Christ, but I fear my light is not super bright. Is my dim light enough? Dim Lightbulb  by  Aditya Vyas When I love people, I desire to be open with them. That includes the deep joy I find in my relationship with Jesus Christ. The Rub But here's the rub. When I hear "motivational" quotes like,  "If you want to give light to others, you have to glow yourself.”  And “Ours is the responsibility to keep our lights bright for others to see and follow.”  —Thomas S. Monson "Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all  places" (Mosiah 18:9, emphasis added). "As we live the gospel, love and serve others, stand strong in the face of temptation and persecution, and bear testimony in word and deed, we will draw others to Jesus Christ" (" Our Call to Share the Savior's Gospel ,"   Liahona,  July 2023, 7). I think: "You must be flawless before you can invite someone to be more like
Post a Comment
Read more

The Secret Reason Why "Good Witch" Feels Emotionally Off

TL;DR It's the Botox. For the past 3 months, my wife, Stacia, and I have been watching  Good Witch  (via Netflix and Amazon Prime). Stacia adores winding down to "Hallmark-y shows." We can rely on Good Witch episodes to always resolve happily. The episodes are never too intense. The height of conflict revolves around things like someone's inability to locate the perfect spot to snap a romantic photo for a new tourism brochure. I consider my time watching these shows spouse bonding time , and emotional training. My favorite thing about watching feel-good shows with Stacia is getting to observe her facial reactions to the on-screen drama. When two people lean in for a long-anticipated kiss, Stacia tucks her knees into her chest and frowns with her forehead while lifting her chin and bottom lip. While I'm typically unable to suspend my disbelief, Stacia seems completely entranced by the various characters' emotions. Wishing I could join her in being swept aw
4 comments
Read more