St. Louis hosts events to mark anniversary of Dred Scott ruling

On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court denied slave Dred Scott his freedom, a decision that helped push a nation inflamed over slavery closer to Civil War.

Throughout St. Louis, events are being held to mark the 150th anniversary of the ruling in the court case that began in this city, and to foster new discussions about race and equality in America.

When he wrote his majority decision in the 7-2 case which regarded the freedom of both Dred and his wife, Harriet Scott U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney may have thought he was resolving questions related to slavery, scholars said.

Taney said Scott, being of African descent, was not a citizen of the United States and had no right to sue in the federal courts. He wrote that Scott had never been free, that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional, and the federal government could not prohibit slavery in the new territories.

"It was saying that black men had no rights that white men were bound to respect," said Bob Moore, historian at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the national park in St. Louis that includes the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse where the case was first heard.

Though the courtroom where the case began no longer exists, that part of the courthouse will house special exhibits beginning this weekend about the case. Visitors also can see historically restored courtrooms elsewhere in the building.

Despite the Civil War and constitutional amendments abolishing slavery and giving black people the right of citizenship and to vote, the legacy of the Dred Scott decision remains, said Washington University history and law professor David Konig.

"The stigma of slavery has persisted. It's a stigma that has crippled America, both black and white," Konig said Wednesday.

That's why, scholars said, it's important to reflect both on Scott's case and its after-effects. ...

•	St. Louis hosts events to mark anniversary of Dred Scott ruling Associated Press State & Local Wire, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007 Byline: Betsy Taylor, Associated Press Writer

	Story also ran in 8 others:  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Scripps Howard News Service, Knoxville News Sentinel (KY) Belleville News-Democrat (IL), St. Louis American, West End Word, Missouri Lawyers Weekly, Springfield News-Leader (MO) and KMOV.com