Dred Scott v. John F. A. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857). Homer Plessy v. John Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896). Two of the worst decisions in the history of the United States Supreme Court. (There are those of us who think they are not through trying.) The first one ruled that people of African descent, whether slave or free, could not be citizens and therefore could not file suit in federal court. The second established the notorious "separate but equal" principle, legalizing institutional discrimination against black people, until it was repudiated by the Court in 1954. The details are too complex for this blog but you can read an excellent summary of the Scott case here and Plessy here. Together, they mark the worst of legalized racism in this country.
At Laumeier Sculpture Park, Scott and Plessy, depicted by identical style busts and pedestals, gaze at one another. Canadian (!) sculptor Ken Lum created The Space Between Scott and Plessy. Click the link to see for yourself.
At Laumeier Sculpture Park, Scott and Plessy, depicted by identical style busts and pedestals, gaze at one another. Canadian (!) sculptor Ken Lum created The Space Between Scott and Plessy. Click the link to see for yourself.
The Dred Scott case was heard in the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis.
ReplyDeleteIt would b a challenge for an artist to create a bust of Citizens United.
Impressive busts... and yes, injustices to say the least.
ReplyDeleteVery important cases in our history, of course, but I confess that the busts and their placement are in the "meh" category for me.
ReplyDeleteInjustices for sure. Thanks for this post. I'm back now and hope to be visiting more often.
ReplyDeleteSome of the recent cases may also go down as amongst the worst as well. (Especially the one that allows corporations to donate freely to political campaigns - a very bad idea in my eyes)
ReplyDeleteI will have to read up on this later.
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