Staff Pick: Mrs. Dred Scott

Mrs. Dred Scott: a life on slavery's frontier
By: Lea VanderVelde

While the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford is one of the most well-known decisions of the US Supreme Court, few people know much about Dred Scott, including the fact that he was married and had two children. Law professor VanderVelde (Univ. of Iowa) attempts to remedy this by explicating the life of Dred's wife, Harriet, and her role in the famous case. What emerges is a fascinating story of slave life in St. Louis, on the Minnesota frontier, and of the complex series of events that brought Harriet, Dred, and the wealthy John Sandford together long before they became antagonists in court.
Copyright 2009 American Library Association.