Many factors have influenced the development of St. Louis as a city, changing the character or nature of the city over time.

Frankie Freeman is one person who has influenced the character of St. Louis. She was the lead attorney on the case that ended racial discrimination in St. Louis public housing in 1954. The verdict of this case was a step forward for racial equality in St. Louis, improving conditions for the minorities that lived there. This case is also seen as both a forerunner for the civil rights movement in St. Louis throughout the country. Auguste Chouteau is largely credited for founding St. Louis. When St. Louis became property of the United States due to the Louisiana Purchase, Auguste chose to cooperate with the government and retained monopoly on trade in the area. He developed the region, transforming St. Louis from a fur trading outpost to a thriving river city. Aldophus Busch created many jobs in St. Louis when he popularized the Anheuser-Busch Company, contributing to the rapid industrialization of the area. He also donated money to many notable charities and universities. Joseph Pulitzer founded the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by combining two former newspapers. He created the Pulitzer Prize and made his signature journalistic style famous, pushing St. Louis into the newspaper spotlight for some time. He also endowed Columbia University. William Clark is famous for his journey across the west, but he also served as a US diplomat to the Native Americans for thirty years. He changed the character of St. Louis by suppressing the Black Hawk War which would have led to many causalities, he also enforced the Indian Removal Act in this area, effectively removing Native Americans from the region.

Jefferson Bank influenced the character of St. Louis when it refused to hire black employees in 1963. The ensuing protests resulted in violence, arrests, and a greater emphasis on activism. It also established a pattern of racial tensions in the city. The Social Evil Hospital was a residence of prostitutes when it was legalized in St. Louis in 1870. Though prostitution was again banned in 1876, the hospital stands to represent the willingness of residents of St. Louis to experiment and push for social reform. Union Station, the largest station in the United States when it was built in the 1930s also had a profound effect on the character of St. Louis. The station made St. Louis highly accessible by train, making St. Louis a city of commerce and importance in the journey across the country. Big Mound was another location that illustrates the character of the city, being a Native American burial site that was bulldozed to make way for the industrial area. Though the mound itself shows that Native Americans had once been active around the region, the demolishing of it reveals how most St. Louisans regarded the preservation of Native American artifacts. The Old Courthouse influenced the character of St. Louis mainly because of the cases settled there. Scott v. Sanford was brought to the courthouse, as well as Virginia Minor’s case for women voting, and both reveal the struggle for equality fought within the city and the nation as a whole.

The Missouri Emancipation Proclamation influence St. Louis greatly. This document ended slavery in the state. Because Missouri was a state with divided loyalties during the Civil War, this proclamation also caused strife within the city. The Browns uniform had a profound effect of St. Louis. Though other professional sports are played in St. Louis, it is very much a baseball town, largely due to the popularity of both the Browns and the Cardinals. The baby tooth represents the victory St. Louis won to limit nuclear testing. This falls in line with St. Louis being a city that pushes for social reforms. The Suffrage movement also influenced St. Louis, leading to several parades and conventions held in 1910 and 1913 that eventually led to the 19th Amendment. The high school yearbook represents the ingrained desire that St. Louisans have to know the high school that one attended- a fact that can also reveal a person’s ethnic background, religion, or socio-economic situation. This represents the distrust of immigrants and the strict cultural barriers that exist in St. Louis.