My Daughter Asked Me About Dred Scott
She Was Disgusted About American History Again
Our conversation went like this:
- Hey Dad, Your ever heard of a case called Scott v. Sanford?
- What’s it about?
- I don’t know. That’s why I asked you. It’s trending on social media.
- The name sounds familiar but I still need to know the year or something.
So I google it.
- Scott v. Sanford.
Then it pops up — Dred Scott. I had my suspicions.
No wonder they were calling it Scott v. Sanford, I say to myself. It’s much softer on the brain. No one wants to ever talk about the Dred Scott case. And, for the record, no one calls it Scott v. Sanford.
Whoever was discussing it was trying to avoid getting into the ugly history of the case. It is even low by standards of American racism.
Scott v. Sanford is America’s fugitive slave case. A Black man, Dred Scott sued for his freedom in Missouri. He and his family should have been freed, by law. He even offered to buy his freedom and the freedom of his family.
But let's be real, the fact that a human being has to sue another human being for their freedom is wicked and absurd, first of all. But…
