One question that I've asked some of my friends is the origin of the little tag line that says “Show-me
State” on every car license plate in Missouri. Everyone knows that is Missouri's slogan but none of
them could answer why Missouri is the “show-me state”. I decided to research about the origin of the
slogan on the Internet – it turns out to be an interesting story.
According to the Missouri Secretary of State website
(http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/slogan.asp), the “show-me” slogan has several theories
associated with its origin. The most popular theory is attributed to Willard Duncan Vandiver, Missouri's
U.S. Congressman from 1897 to 1903, when he attended a naval banquet in Philadelphia, and delivered
a speech there on 1899:
“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.”
However, it is still unclear that Vandiver actually invented the phrase or not, because it is believed that
the phrase was around before that time.
The other theory relates to mining techniques – sometimes in mid-1890, new miners from Missouri
replaced the strikers in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado. As they are new and is unfamiliar with
the techniques, they frequently needed instructions. Thus it became a familiar saying of pit bosses:
“That man is from Missouri. You'll have to show him.”
Other than the popular “show-me” slogan (by the way Missouri does not have an official slogan,
“show-me” is unofficial), there are also several other slogans about our dear Missouri: “Close to Home.
Far from ordinary.”, “The Cave State” (due to having so many caves – Missouri has about 6000
recorded caves), and “Where The Rivers Run”. I love the “show-me” slogan and the latter theory
associated with it (although initially it was used to ridicule and reproach people from Missouri, more or
less) – it is short and is really the impression of me about Missouri people: Plain, simple, and friendly
once I have shown them what they want to know (about me).