Courtland in Southampton County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Dred Scott And The Blow Family
Photographed By Mike Stroud, October 12, 2013
1. Dred Scott And The Blow Family Marker
Dred Scott, a slave lived as a child northeast of here on Peter Blow plantation early in the 1800s. The
Blows moved to Missouri and in 1830 sold Scott to an army officer who was stationed in various free
territories. Scott sued for his and his family's freedom in 1846 because he lived where slavery was illegal.
In 1857, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not outlaw slavery and that Scott
was property, not a citizen. The Dred Scott decision outraged abolitionists and further divided the nation.
Blow's sons purchased Scott's freedom in 1857; he died in 1858.Erected 2013 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number UT-24.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Civil Rights • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.
Location. 36° 42.483′ N, 77° 8.547′ W. Marker is in Courtland
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Buckhorn Quarters (here, next to this marker); Nottoway Indians (approx. 2 miles away); Blackhead Signpost Road (approx. 2.1 miles away); Southampton County Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.2 miles away); Mahone’s Tavern (approx. 4.2 miles away); Courtland School — Rosenwald Funded (approx. 4.3 miles away); The Rebecca Vaughan House (approx. 4.7 miles away); "Thomaston" (approx. 5˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Courtland.
More about this marker. Although printed and casted as 2011, marker was erected 4/16/2013
Photographed By Mike Stroud, October 12, 2013
2. Dred Scott And The Blow Family Marker looking west along US 58
Shares locaion with Buckhorn Quarters Marker
* See nearby markers
Photographed By Mike Stroud, October 12, 2013
3. Dred Scott And The Blow Family Marker , near Buckhorn Quarter Road looking eastward
Photographed By Wikipedia
4. Dred Scott
"the Dred Scott Decision." The case was based on the fact that although he and his wife Harriet Scott were slaves, they had lived with his master Dr. John Emerson in states and territories where slavery was illegal according to both state laws and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, including Illinois and Minnesota (which was then part of the Wisconsin Territory). The United States Supreme Court decided 7–2 against Scott, finding that neither he nor any other person of African ancestry could claim citizenship in the United States, and therefore Scott could not bring suit in federal court under diversity of citizenship rules.
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Credits. This page was last revised on July 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 14, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,959 times since then and 311 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 14, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
