Discovering History in Our Own Backyard

By Lt. Governor Joe Maxwell


	Sometimes you have to look no further than your own backyard to make amazing
discoveries. This certainly was the case for me, when I discovered enshrined
in the Hall of Famous Missourians is a man who was a long time resident in
my hometown of Mexico, Missouri.  This historic Missouri figure, Tom Bass,
was a world-renowned horse trainer during the latter part of the eighteenth
century who helped organize the American Royal in Kansas City and performed
before or trained horses for five American presidents.  His fame also comes
from the invention of the Tom Bass Bit, a special bit that is less intrusive
and painful to a horse's mouth that is still used to day.   As a
demonstration of his love and devotion to the horses he trained, he refused
to patent the bit, instead choosing to "give it to the horses of the world;
something to make their way in life a little easier."  While these
accomplishments are outstanding, what makes the achievements of Tom Bass
more remarkable is the fact that he was born into slavery in Boone County in
1859. 

	Tom Bass is just one of many famous African-American Missourians who have
helped shaped the face of our society.  An exploration of their lives and
accomplishments is a discovery of the history that has made the United
States into the nation it currently is today.  During Black History Month in
February we are given an added opportunity to reflect upon how African
Americans have helped mold our nation into a land of freedom and one of
which we can all be proud.  African Americans have defended and expanded
these freedoms on the battlefield in every major United States war and
domestically during the Civil Rights movement and beyond.  The achievements
of these men and women are intertwined into the fabric of our lives,
elements that we take for granted on a daily basis.  

	Many of these strands of our lives, from making a peanut butter sandwich for
a child's lunch to sitting down to watch a baseball game in the evening may
not have occurred if not for the ingenuity of some of our African American
ancestors.  George Washington Carver was one of the most influential
agriculturists in the history of our nation, reinvigorating southern
agriculture by encouraging crop rotation in soils devastated by cotton and
tobacco production.  While encouraging the use of peanuts, sweet potatoes,
and soybeans, Carver discovered products ranging from plastics for
automobiles made from soybeans to the peanut butter that constitutes one of
the world's most popular sandwiches.  In demonstration of his achievements,
President Roosevelt honored Carver on July 14, 1943 with the George
Washington Carver National Monument at his birthplace in Diamond, Missouri,
with Carver being the first African-American so honored.

	In our current world we take the work of Carver for granted as part of
everyday life, just as we do modern sports.  I was born after the
groundbreaking season of Jackie Robinson, a former Kansas City Monarch, and
the athletes who broke the color barrier in the world of sports. But even
today we marvel at their achievements and resiliency in the face of
adversity.  These athletes not only helped demonstrate the gaps that then
existed in our leisure world, but they also acted as a force to help close
them throughout society as a whole.  Every time that we attend an evening
baseball game, we are doing so because the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro
Leagues established the practice of playing at night with artificial lights
in order to draw a larger attendance.   Not only can we reflect on this at
modern games, but we can also remember and experience the accomplishments of
these athletes from a different era at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in
Kansas City.

	I encourage everyone over the month of February and anytime throughout the
year to uncover these elements of our national and state history.  This
history is a part of all of our lives, having some influence on nearly
everything we do throughout the day.  In honor of Black History Month and to
help you begin your journey of discovery my office has created a Web site
entitled "A Journey Through Our African American History" at
http://www.ltgov.state.mo.us/Featured%20Pages%20and%20Links/BlackHistoryMont
h.htm.  I hope that everyone is able to gain inspiration and insight from
these events of the past as we continue to forge a better society into the
future.