In 1846, Dred and Harriet Scott were living in St. Louis, Missouri with their two daughters. They were enslaved and launched a not uncommon petition: a lawsuit for their freedom. Eleven years later Chief Justice Roger B. Taney would issue an opinion on their case that not only refused their freedom but attempted to cement the fate of all Black individuals in the United States. Taney would ultimately fail and the Reconstruction Amendments would dash Taney’s opinion in Dred Scott v Sandford, but not before the case was forever cast as a Supreme Court decision gone wrong.
The Scotts’ great great granddaughter, Lynne Jackson, is joined by Chief Judge John R. Tunheim of the U.S. District Court of Minnesota to tell the story of the Scotts and their case.
Click here to download a Graphic Organizer for students to take notes on while listening to the episode.
Episode Resources
Lynne Jackson’s Dred Scott Heritage Foundation site offers regular updates on educational programs, efforts to promote the Dred Scott story and the community of descendants preserving their heritage. Please note! THIS is the active website. This is the archived website.
The Old Courthouse museum at Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri is a must-visit. This is also the site of the Dred and Harriet Scott statue that launched Lynne Jackson’s efforts to preserve the Scott story. They are currently undergoing renovations which will include a large exhibit devoted to Dred and Harriet Scott.
We talk about anticanon in this episode and give you a sense of how it’s generally interpreted, but this article by Jamal Greene is a remarkable argument for deeper interrogation of the anticanon cases and why we believe they’re wrong. If you’re a SCOTUS nerd consider this a must-read.
Street Law has created wonderful free case summaries on Scott v Sandford, click here for High School or Middle School
