Details

Subject(s)

• Enslaved persons—Legal status, laws, etc—Missouri—Saint Louis Region—History—19th century—Cases [Browse]

Series

Early American places [More in this series]

Summary note

"The Dred Scott suit for freedom, argues Kelly M. Kennington, was merely the most famous example of a phenomenon that was more widespread in antebellum American jurisprudence than is generally recognized. The author draws on the case files of more than three hundred enslaved individuals who, like Dred Scott and his family, sued for freedom in the local legal arena of St. Louis. Her findings open new perspectives on the legal culture of slavery and the negotiated processes involved in freedom suits. As a gateway to the American West, a major port on both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and a focal point in the rancorous national debate over slavery's expansion, St. Louis was an ideal place for enslaved individuals to challenge the legal systems and, by extension, the social systems that held them in forced servitude. Kennington offers an in-depth look at how daily interactions, webs of relationships, and arguments presented in court shaped and reshaped legal debates and public attitudes over slavery and freedom in St. Louis. Kennington also surveys more than eight hundred state supreme court freedom suits from around the United States to situate the St. Louis example in a broader context." -- Back cover.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-279) and index.

Contents

• Introduction: the legal culture of slavery
• Setting the scene
• Bringing suit
• Crafting strategy
• A world in motion
• Double character
• Defending suits
• Political repercussions
• Conclusion : after the verdict.

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ISBN

• 9780820345512 ((hbk. ; : alk. paper))
• 0820345512 ((hbk. ; : alk. paper))
• 9780820345529 ((pbk. ; : alk. paper))
• 0820345520 ((pbk. ; : alk. paper))

LCCN

2016028172

OCLC

952200138

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