7. A Tale of Two Kansas Cities
The invisible line that runs through the middle of Kansas City may be an important political boundary, but in 1918, like today, diseases do not respect these human divides. This episode compares the Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO responses to the flu pandemic, including differences in business closures, compliance, and other “social distancing” measures. We’ll also look at the politics behind these differences, especially the operations of the Kansas City, MO democratic political machine connected to the rise of boss Tom Pendergast. What lessons can we learn from the 1918 responses across the state line that are applicable to 21st-century pandemics?
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Curious about the sources we use and want to learn more about the topics, people, and places we discuss in this episode? Then this space is for you.
View a historic image of Tom Pendergast’s house and a contemporary photo of the house.
Learn more about Kansas City, MO political boss Tom Pendergast and regional history on the Kansas City Public Library’s website “The Pendergast Years: Kansas City in the Jazz Age & Great Depression.”
See where Kansas City, MO ranks on excess mortality during the influenza pandemic compared to other cities in the U.S. on the Digital Public Library of America’s online exhibition.
Read Susan Sykes Berry’s thesis “Politics and Pandemic in 1918 Kansas City.”
View an image of Boss Pendergast and Joe Shannon, his rival at the time of the influenza pandemic. (This photo is from 1928 after their rivalry was over.)
Read the newspaper article “Politics Health Menace” from The Kansas City Times, October 24th, 1918, pg. 3.