Dred Scott Resolutions Heard in House Committee

The Missouri House Special Committee on Urban Issues heard resolutions this week to denounce the 1852 Missouri Supreme Court decision denying Dred and Harriet Scott freedom from slavery. HCR 4 and HCR 5, filed by Rep. Raychel Proudie (D-Ferguson) and Rep. Dottie Bailey (R-Eureka) respectively, call upon the Missouri General Assembly to denounce the decision as an affront to the right of Dred and Harriet Scott to equal dignity under the law.  Proudie, who is black, and Bailey, who is white, presented the resolutions together in a bipartisan effort to recognize and condemn the court decision that many argue played a part in bringing about the Civil War. The MCC testified in support of the resolution, arguing the 200th Anniversary of the founding of Missouri as a state is a fitting time for the General Assembly to issue such a resolution. The resolutions will hold no force of law, but they would be an important way of acknowledging the errors of the past and could help bring about healing.