MISSOURI WATCH: AS HISTORY TELLS US...

Harry Truman was insistent in his belief that history hid the events of the future, and that the only unknown to be learned from the chronicles of the past is the part we don't know. Perhaps he was right.

And so our story begins after the November election, when one of the nation's political parties emerged triumphant and the other suffered a major defeat. The nation's direction did a 180-degree turn, and everything seemed topsy-turvy. It was both a time of celebration for some and a time of travail and retrospect for others.

Shortly after the election, a U.S. senator rose to his feet and delivered a stirring call for unity. "If we could first know where we are, we could better judge what to do and how to do it....A house divided against itself cannot stand." Applauded by some, scored by others, the press seemed unaware that the senator was calling for national unity at a time in the nation's history when unity was increasingly rare.

Months after the dramatic November election, the federal government began to pursue policies that were neither strongly supported nor strongly opposed, but the nation was divided, and individual citizens concentrated for the most part on their own personal pursuits, while remaining unconvinced their country was becoming unraveled.

It was not a pleasant period for those who were truly concerned about the future, and historians searched, in vain, for some hint from the pages of time. They seemed unable to agree that the past had any application to the present, much less the future.

After months of debate, argument and turmoil, the nation began its approach toward the presidential election, and as the crisis worsened, many felt the wounds of the past would only be healed by a national referendum for a new leader who could stoke the divisive fires that threatened the future of a once-united people.

The one bright light of the moment was the end of a business recession that had hovered over the economy for several years. The nation worked hard and times improved. The disparity between rich and poor narrowed slightly, after expanding during the recent business downturn. If the nation could find no comfort in political unity, it could at least enjoy its resurgence of trade and commerce.

Those who had won the last election claimed credit for a growing economy, and their arguments were no less persuasive than those by the incumbent president, who said it had been his leadership that had turned the corner to prosperity.

Violence, particularly among minorities, became a growing concern, for it was often senseless, and as it spread, citizens feared for their safety and many refused to leave their homes, even during daylight hours. Immigrants, too, were troubling as the people and their leaders debated how to cope with a seemingly unanswerable question. Many in Congress offered the same view: deport those who are illegal and keep a close eye on those who have recently come to our shores. The nation had other concerns, such as women in the work force, and many demanded higher wages for their talents. Employers were reluctant to comply, but women were now a potent force.

As the nation approached the quadrennial election, Republicans insisted they needed a moderate to carry the party banner, while Democrats chose a candidate committed to the pursuit of party policies that had precipitated much of the domestic unrest of the moment. A third party, with a nominee from the South, stirred national emotions still further.

Civil unrest, acts of rebellion, senseless armed attacks against innocent civilians continued to escalate. In desperation, the president responded with federal troops to restore order. Radicals accused him of precipitating violence to destroy their liberties, following an armed attack that destroyed a federal facility. A shocked public mourned..

Citizen unrest grew and with it, violence across the land. National leaders hoped for the best but began to prepare for the worst. Perhaps they were only reading history.

The nation was torn and as armed conflict increased, an alarmed citizenry recognized the only acceptable course. The union must be preserved, said Mr. Lincoln, as he declared the beginning of the First American Civil War.

As for America's future, history tells us. ...

~Jack Stapleton of Kennett is the editor of the Missouri News and Editorial Service.