Upcoming Events

The Thursday Evening Speaker Series is free of charge and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Unless otherwise noted, programs will be held at the Missouri State Archives, located at 600 W. Main Street in Jefferson City. The series is underwritten by the Friends of the Missouri State Archives.

[Presentation Videos from past events are available at the following location:
Missouri State Archives Presentation Videos.]

Abolitionism on the Missouri-Illinois Border

This in-person only only event will take place at the Cole County Historical Society (109 Madison St., Jefferson City, MO 65101) due to the temporary closure of the Missouri State Archives' auditorium.

Thursday, May 16, 2024, @ 7 p.m.

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In the pre-Civil War-era, slavery and Underground Railroad activity both existed along the border between Missouri and Illinois. Abolitionists founded Missouri’s Marion College – the first institute of higher education in the state to receive a charter from the Missouri State Legislature – in the pro-slavery northeastern county of the same name, as well as the Mission Institute across the Mississippi River in Quincy, Illinois. C. Patrick Hotle’s presentation explores the impact abolitionism had on both sides of the border, especially between 1831 and 1844 when the two colleges were most active. Thus, it serves as a case study demonstrating how the dynamic between slavery and abolitionism shaped the area’s history.