The lingering issues that continue to divide us is the fact that we are closed mouthed about the elephant in the room, RACE. For the most part, Americans do not know its history in regard to white Americas historic disregard for the former enslaved African, prior to and after Emancipation that continues today in every facet of American life. Lack of this knowledge has created distinct internalized mindsets of superiority for whites and inferiority for blacks, respectively. Knowing our history, and uncovering history that has been purposefully hidden, is essential if any healing is going to take place in this nation. I suggest that from time to time, we share historical vignettes regarding this concern, (the disregard of the black man) and starting with the 1857 Supreme Court Decision regarding Dred Scott, a former enslaved African in which the Supreme Court (made up of all white men) ruled him to be less than a man, making it legal for him to be the property of another man is a great place to start. Dred Scott was a slave whose owner, an army doctor, had spent time in Illinois, a free state, and Wisconsin, a free territory at the time of Scotts residence. The Supreme Court was stacked in favor of the slave states. Five of the nine justices were from the South while another, Robert Grier of Pennsylvania, was staunchly pro-slavery. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the majority decision, which was issued on March 6, 1857. The court held that Scott was not free based on his residence in either Illinois or Wisconsin because he was not considered a person under the U.S. Constitution--in the opinion of the justices, black people were not considered citizens when the Constitution was drafted in 1787. According to Taney, Dred Scott was the property of his owner, and property could not be taken from a person without due process of law. In fact, there were free black citizens of the United States in 1787, but Taney and the other justices were attempting to halt further debate on the issue of slavery in the territories. The decision inflamed regional tensions, which burned for another four years before exploding into the Civil War. #thereistruthandhealinginknowledge More to come, stay tuned.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 22:14:51 +0000
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