Lawrence H. Larsen, ’53
A History of Missouri: Volume VI, 1953-2003, by Lawrence H. Larsen, ’53.
Paperback, 212 pages, University of Missouri Press, August 2004.
Lawrence Larsen is professor emeritus of history at the University of Missouri–Kansas
City and the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including the biography,
Pendergast!
A History of Missouri: Volume VI, the final volume in the History of Missouri
series, begins at the beginning of the Truman presidency and ends in 2003, the
200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase agreement and of the organization
of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Larsen’s thesis is that, during these
years, Missouri continued to advance in a restrained manner and at a moderate
pace. The Republican party revived, suburbs mushroomed around the central cities,
state government grew and expanded its functions, the population became more
diverse, concerns increased for the natural and built environments, higher education
was transformed, small towns held their own, and the state declined as a force
in national politics.
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