The historical role of STL in slavery and freedom

Much has been written about St. Louis' slave history. Examination of census tracts of the time shows that the number of black slaves in the city rose from 268 in 1799 to 2,656 in 1850. Only 30 years later One in twenty residents of our bustling river city was black, two-thirds of whom were slaves.

Still, there is much to learn about how slaves in St. Louis lived, fought, and even tried to free themselves from the legalized tyranny that dictated their lives for decades.

Next week, two interconnected exhibits – “Slavery in St. Louis” and “The Freedom Suit” – will offer a deeper look into the evolution of slavery in the city and present examples of black slaves who attempted to free themselves and their families through the court system.

“Slavery in St. Louis”, a The Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site exhibition examines the spread of slavery in the city in the political, economic and historical context of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In its early years, St. Louis was the unofficial “Gateway City,” connecting northeastern business interests with the western frontier. By 1850, it had become the first city west of the Mississippi to be included in the list of the ten most populous cities.

In the 19th century, St. Louis developed into an important center for trade and commerce and had the third largest port in the USA. At any one time, up to 50 steamships loaded with goods and supplies were anchored a mile deep on the levee.

“Slavery in St. Louis” The exhibition uses primary sources, historical artifacts and individual slave accounts to vividly depict slavery in St. Louis.

“While many people are familiar with the story of Dred and Harriet Scott, the broader history of slavery in St. Louis is less well known,” said Nathan Wilson, director of the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.

“This exhibition will familiarize visitors with our city’s complicated relationship with slavery.”

The accompanying exhibition, “The Freedom Suits”, was prepared for the Law Library Association of Saint Louis (LLASTL), a public law library for members located in the Civil Courts Building downtown, and contains original, rarely seen court briefs on three different types of lawsuits brought by enslaved people seeking their freedom.

The exhibition also includes explanatory panels on the following topics:

(1) Freedom suits in general – what were they and how did they work in the context of slavery in Missouri

(2) Freedom suits in St. Louis – highlights some of the freedom suits in St. Louis in the context of slavery in St. Louis

(3) Freedom suits in other parts of Missouri – Highlights 20+ freedom suits from other parts of the state

“Slavery in St. Louis” will be on display at the Law Library Association from September 3 to October 1. “The Freedom Suits” documents and interpretive panels will be on display from September 3 to December 3. For more information, contact Library Director Gail Wechsler at 314-622-4470 or [email protected].

Sylvester Brown Jr. is a Community Advocacy Fellow at the Deaconess Foundation.

For a complete list of these events and information on how to register, please visit https://llastl.org/slavery-freedom-suitsTo find out more about the exhibitions or to arrange group visits, including school visits, visit https://llastl.org/slavery-freedom-suits.