by Charmane Malone
staff associate

In 1846, a black man by the name of Dred Scott sued for his right to remain free after living a great deal of his life with his owner on free soil. With the help of an abolitionist, Scott took his case all the way to the Supreme Court, where he lost his battle. Scott lost the decision as 7 out of 9 justices on the Supreme Court declared no slave or descendant of a slave could be a U.S. citizen, or ever had been a U.S. citizen. On Saturday Feb. 14, a special ceremony was held for "The Dred and Harriet Scott Papers" exhibit, before the documents are moved to the Central Library's main foyer for the rest of February.

On hand for the special ceremony was Mayor Clarence Harmon, Missouri Secretary of State Rebecca Cook, and St. Louis Circuit Clerk Mariano Favazza.

"It is vitally important that we preserve these irreplaceable pieces of America's past so that future generations will remember the struggles of those who came before us. We must never take for granted the freedom they worked so hard to achieve," said Favazza.

Included in the exhibit along with Dred Scott's and his wife Harriet Scott's court documents petitioning for their freedom are hundreds of documents from the Circuit Clerk's files relating to other slaves' petitions for freedom.

The exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the offices of the St. Louis Circuit Clerk and the Missouri Secretary of State, in which the documents were restored and preserved. A major exhibit based on the full collection, including documents of immigrant's application for U.S. citizenship, dates as far back as the early 1800s.

Dr. Glen Holt, Executive Director of the Library is pleased to be working with Circuit Clerk's Office and the State of Missouri to make the document available to the public.

Says Holt, "These documents, illustrate the rich history of St. Louis and demonstrate the important role our city has played in the development of our nation."

According to Favazza, donations are needed to help fund the ongoing restoration and preservation of many historic documents still in the city's files. Contributions can be made through the United Missouri Bank "Records Preservation Fund," 2 South Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102.

For more information on the exhibit, contact the Library's Marketing Department at 539-0305.