It’s Morning Edition on KRPS; I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro. This week, Missouri is celebrating its bicentennial. The state was the 24th admitted into the United States of American on August 10, 1821. While the state has changed drastically over time one thing that hasn’t is the diversity of its population and the complexity of its beliefs. Today, we know Missouri as a free state, although during the Civil War it wasn’t, especially Southwest Missouri which was an area known for lawlessness.