Editing History of Missouri (section)

===Race and society (1920–1945)===
[[Chester A. Franklin]] (1880–1955) was one of the leading black spokesmen in the state. He founded the leading black newspaper, [[The Call (Kansas City)|''The Kansas City Call'']] in 1919, building a regional circulation, and good advertising support from the business community. Franklin was a deeply committed conservative Republican, who slashed away every week at the corrupt Pendergast machine. However he was on good terms with one of Pendergast's top associates, Harry Truman. Franklin admired Truman's honesty and integrity—indeed, that was the reason Pendergast promoted him, since he needed to appease the good government forces.<ref>Gene Schmidtlein, "Harry S. Truman and the Pendergast Machine." ''Midcontinent American Studies Journal'' 7#.2 (1966): 28–35. [https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/viewFile/2201/2160 Online]</ref> Truman was a rare Democrat who gave significant support for the black community, so Franklin recommend voting for him in the 1934 in 1940 Senate elections. The two broke politically in 1941 over domestic issues; Franklin refused to join most black leaders in switching to the Democratic Party. However Franklin's cordial dealings with Truman over the years encouraged Truman to announce his unexpectedly strong support for civil rights in 1948.<ref>Thomas D. Wilson, "Chester A. Franklin and Harry S. Truman: An African-American Conservative and the 'Conversion' of the Future President." ''Missouri Historical Review'' 88 (1993): 48–76.</ref>

The Great Depression undermined the economic and social opportunities of Missouri blacks. Unskilled jobs disappeared; some black workers were replaced by whites. White housewives could no longer afford black domestic service workers. By 1933, 60 percent of the black workers in St. Louis were unemployed, and wage cuts further hurt the economic position of blacks. Black businesses were weakened by the Depression, while black churches could only provide limited assistance to the needy. The black press and the [[National Urban League]] continued to pressure local governments for equal treatment and an end to discrimination. The Communist Party made a major effort to enroll black activists, with minimal success.<ref name="kirkendall 134"/> The [[New Deal]] operated numerous large-scale welfare programs for all impoverished Americans, including blacks. The big-city machines flourished as never before, as they directed unemployed families to The numerous alphabetical welfare programs, such as the CWA, FERA, CCC and WPA. New Deal farm programs Restored prosperity to agriculture. Many black politicians switched their allegiances to the Democratic party and in Missouri (unlike the South) The blacks could vote and made a major difference at the polls.

The economy rebounded sharply during the rearmament of 1940–41, and grew very rapidly during the war years. Jobs were plentiful in most urban areas, and farmers flocked to the cities.

During World War II racial tension increased in both rural and urban Missouri; in early 1942 in [[Sikeston, Missouri|Sikeston]], a white mob [[Lynching of Cleo Wright|lynched Cleo Wright]] in public. The [[United States Department of Justice]] investigated the lynching, the first time since Reconstruction that the federal government had tried to prosecute such a case. Despite the investigation, the government did not file indictments, as witnesses refused to cooperate. In summer 1943 in Kansas City, a race riot nearly broke out after a white city police officer killed a black man.<ref name="kirkendall 269">Kirkendall (2004), 269.</ref>