Address to the People of the United States, together with the Proceedings and Resolutions of the Pro-Slavery Convention of Missouri, Held at Lexington, July 1855

Delivered by a gathering of Missouri citizens in the summer of 1855, this address presents a candid snapshot of a border region poised for growth. The speakers outline their purpose—to lay out facts and reflections on how the nearby Kansas Territory and the state’s own prosperity are intertwined, and to explain why they believe the institution of slavery remains vital to that stability.

In vivid detail the document describes the fertile soil, thriving hemp farms, and booming towns that surround the Kansas border, noting that half of Missouri’s slave population lives there. It counters contemporary abolitionist narratives by emphasizing economic value, educational and religious development, and the region’s strategic rail and river connections. The appeal is both a defense of local interests and a plea for national understanding, offering a window into the heated debates that shaped the nation’s pre‑civil‑war landscape.