Historic Dred Scott copies presented to posterity at City Hall

ST. Louis, Mo. (KMOV) – This afternoon at St. Louis City Hall, historical copies of Dredd and Harriot Scott’s papers were presented to Lynne Jackson, their immediate obituary.

The transcripts were provided by Michael Butler, St. Louis City’s first African-American Recorder of Deeds.

Dred and Harriot Scott were enslaved people who sued for their freedom in Dred Scott v. Stanford in 1857.

Included in the documents presented to Jackson was a public record of the transfer of the Scotts’ property from Eliza Chaffee and Henrietta Emerson to Taylor Blow, who granted them their freedom a few weeks later.

According to National Park Service website, the Dred Scott case began in 1846 when Dred Scott went to the Old Courthouse in St. Louis to seek freedom. By the decision of this important case, the Missouri Compromise was declared invalid.

This decision ultimately played a major role in starting the Civil War.

The Dred Scott Legacy Foundation, founded by Jackson, will host the 2022 Dred Scott Reconciliation Conference on Saturday, October 29.

More information about the upcoming event is available here dredscottlive.org.

Copyright 2022 KMOV. All rights reserved.