The Dred Scott decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 was the culmination of more than a decade of litigation to win their freedom by slaves Dred and Harriet Scott. The legal battle began in St. Louis where the Scotts won an initial victory.  However, the verdict was appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, where the ruling went against the Scotts. Some brilliant legal maneuvering brought the case to America’s highest court, where the institution of slavery was upheld by denying Dred Scott rights of citizenship.  The final ruling laid some of the groundwork for the Civil War and forever put St. Louis in the forefront of any discussion on civil rights.  Our contributors have closely studied the Scott case.  David Konig is Professor of History and Law at Washington University, and John Baugh is professor of African American Studies, also of Washington University.

Listen to the episode:

Contributors:

David Konig, Professor of History and Law at Washington University

John Baugh, Professor of African American Studies at Washington University

Additional information about this episode:

Expanded Scott history

Detailed Scott history in St. Louis

David Konig biography and photo

John Baugh biography and photo

Ruth Ann Hager biography and photo

Video from Nine Network of Public Media's Living St. Louis:

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About the Project:

With this collection of archived interviews of St. Louis on the Air, we present an oral history of civil rights, the black experience, and race relations in St. Louis from 1847 to 2010.

Additional Resources:

The Beacon's Race Frankly Series:
An on-going community discussion around progress being made on the subject of race in the St. Louis metro area.

Eyes on the Prize:
A documentary from PBS's American Experience

FOCUS St. Louis project: Bridges Across Racial Polarization:
Get to know people whom you might not otherwise meet.

Missouri History Museum exhibit, Race: Are We So Different?
Learn the history of race, the role of science in that history, and the subtle and obtrusive expressions of race and racism in institutions and daily lives.

NAACP:
The nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.

Southern Poverty Law Center:
A nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society.