Downtown in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Freedom Denied, Freedom Gained
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
| | National Park Service, U.S. Deparment of the Interior | |
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 25, 2020
1. Freedom Denied, Freedom Gained Marker
In 1854 Dred Scott, his wife Harriet, and a group of lawyers stood before the federal court here in St. Louis. The court rejected their claim for freedom. Four years earlier, Dred and Harriet sued for their freedom at the Old Courthouse and won, but the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the decision in 1852. The Scott family appealed the verdict of the trial held here to the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, but they were again denied freedom. A few months later, the Peter Blow family, descendants of Dred Scott's former owner, purchased the Scott family and gave them their freedom.
This famous case, first heard in St. Louis, fueled the fire that would ignite the Civil War.
[Dred Scott] applied to his [owner] for the purchase of himself and family [she] refused his proposition, and Dred being informed that he was entitled to his freedom by the operation of the laws regulating the northwest territory, forthwith brought suit for it.
St. Louis Evening News, April 3, 1857
[Timeline:]
1846
Circuit Court of St. Louis County
The Scotts first sued for their freedom in St. Louis at the Old Courthouse
1847
The Scotts lost on a technicality and the court gave permission for another trial
1850
Circuit
this page online
A jury set the Scott family free
1852
Missouri Supreme Court
The court reversed the lower court decision
1854
Federal Circuit Court District of Missouri
A jury denied freedom to the Scott family here at the Papin Building
March 18577
The United States Supreme Court
The court upheld the lower federal court decision
May 1857
The Blow Family purchased the Scott family and gave them their freedom
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Civil Rights • Government & Politics. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1857.
Location. 38° 37.542′ N, 90° 11.096′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Downtown. It is on Gateway Arch Trail, on the left when traveling north. At the intersection of 2nd & Washington you will find a paid parking are. Walk under the bridge and follow the path to the Arch. All markers are along the Gateway Arch Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 187 Gateway Arch Trail, Saint Louis MO 63102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are
Photographed by Jason Voigt, December 2, 2022
2. Freedom Denied, Freedom Gained Marker
Marker is located at Gateway Arch National Park
Photographed by Jason Voigt, December 2, 2022
3. Freedom Denied, Freedom Gained Marker
Marker is near the north leg of the Gateway Arch
Credits. This page was last revised on March 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2020, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 353 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on March 19, 2026, by Garrett Koch of Saint Louis, Missouri. Photos: 1. submitted on December 10, 2020, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 2, 3. submitted on April 3, 2023, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
