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New Dred Scott book fixes years of murky, incorrect teaching
(by Julius K. Hunter - February 03, 2010)
The name “Dred Scott” is one that has been spoken and recognized by millions of American history students for more than 150 years. And the famous Dred Scott case has been the subject of many a unit in law schools everywhere.
Yet few of us would be able to answer basic questions about this case, like where Scott lived, why his case is significant, how it related to the Civil War, and what ultimately happened to Scott. We know the case is, perhaps, important to the lives of all of us, but we can’t quite articulate why.
If we know so few of the details about Dred Scott’s place in history, there’s high probability that we know nothing about whether Scott had a wife and family. And where was Scott living, and what was he doing during the nearly dozen years of his literal trials and tribulations while the courts decided whether he was a free man or still a slave?
In her new book, local historian, author and lecturer Ruth Ann Hager definitively answers the question of whether Scott had a family. In fact, she goes much further than telling us, “Yes, there was a family!” — she introduces us to each of them.
Dred & Harriet Scott: Their Family Story can save us from having to acknowledge what we didn’t learn in school about the landmark court case. In 2007, Hager distinguished herself by becoming the first historian of record to ever determine, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly where Dred’s wife, Harriet, is buried and when she died. For more than a century, historians have recorded (and we have learned) incorrect information about Harriet’s life and death.
Thankfully, the new book is much more than hard, boring, cold stats. The author gives us up close and very personal looks at the man himself, his wife, Harriet, and their two young daughters, Eliza and Lizzie. After reading the book, I feel I was thoroughly prepared to sit down with either or all of them and conduct a good television interview. Not only did Hager’s research turn up heretofore unpublished court documents and personal letters relative to the Dred Scott decision, she was able to locate living descendents of Dred and Harriet. They were able to give the author unprecedented access to family photos and documents and share priceless stories that have passed directly down through the Scott family in insular fashion since the mid-19th century.
Hager’s meticulous research chronicles a painful roller coaster ride of enslavement, freedom, outright status confusion, glimmers of hope, and the devastating ruling that slammed the Scotts and slaves across the nation. The dagger was thrown down by none other than the U.S. Supreme Court. Readers will find many more photocopies of corroborating documents and handwritten personal letters in this book than in many other works of this ilk. Appendices, indices and solid references abound.
But I was a bit more interested in the people parts of this intriguing saga. What were the Scotts like as a married couple? Did Dred display any personal and private reaction at home to being in the ignominious spotlight for so long? What were the ongoing thoughts of the two young and impressionable Scott girls during the family’s years of infamy? Who were the several owners of the Scotts, the attorneys who fought for and against manumission, and what were the politics of the Dred Scott case — emanating from the Oval Office of the White House itself? Readers will find tantalizing profiles of these real-life characters in this fascinating new book. They’ll even find some well-placed touches of juicy gossip — both rumored and documented — regarding some of the principal characters.
Very little has ever been written about Harriet. But Hager’s new book shows that the woman behind the man was much more of a dynamic figure than some shrinking violet hiding behind her husband’s historic shadow. One particularly well-engineered parental decision she made regarding the Scotts’ two young daughters is surprising. It’s also intriguing — and surprising — how very long one of the Scott daughters lived after she intentionally disappeared from public view.
Dred & Harriet Scott: Their Family Story is a professionally researched tome that will be equally as comfortable on the nightstand as it will be on classroom desks and library reference shelves. An enlightening read!
• A longtime resident of the Central West End, Julius K. Hunter is an award-winning broadcast journalist, author, educator, lecturer, musician and founder of the Julius K. Hunter & Friends African American Research Collection at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters.
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