Dred & Harriet Scott: Their Family Story

Dred & Harriet Scott: Their Family Story

For more than a century, millions of students of American history have studied the dramatic story of Dred Scott, the St. Louis slave who sued for his freedom but was denied by the 1857 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Scott v Sandford. However, have you ever heard his family story? Do you know about his second wife, Harriet, who sued for freedom at the same time as Dred, about their daughters, Eliza and Lizzie, or about their grandchildren? Do you know that Harriet and Dred's youngest daughter, Lizzie, lived through the Civil War, World War I, and World War II? Now, never-before-shared oral tradition from Scott descendants, and meticulous research by the author, tells their family story including dramatic events in their tumultuous lives. This intriguing true-to-life account tells of the Scott family's literal trials and tribulations through the painful roller-coaster ride that included slavery, freedom, re-enslavement, emancipation, and family survival. Their story tells of the struggles parents face for the sake of their children, and ultimately, about the importance of family.