Much has been written about St. Louis’ slave history. The study of census tracts of the times notes the city’s rapid growth of Black slaves increased from 268 in 1799 to 2,656 by 1850. A mere 30 years later, one-in-20 residents of our bustling river town consisted of black people, of which two-thirds were slaves.
Still, there’s much to learn about how slaves in St. Louis lived, struggled and even tried to free themselves from the legalized tyranny that dictated their lives for decades.
Next week, two connected exhibits – “Slavery in St. Louis,” and “The Freedom Suits,” – will offer a deeper dive into the growth of slavery in the city and present examples of Black slaves who tried to use the court system to liberate themselves and their families.
“Slavery in St. Louis,” an exhibit created by the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, explores the growth of slavery in the city in the context of politics, economics, and history during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In its early years, St. Louis was unofficially the “Gateway City” linking northeastern business interests to the western frontier. By 1850, it had joined the list of top-10 highest populated cities, being the first one west of the Mississippi to make the list.
During the 19th-Century, St. Louis had blossomed into a significant hub of commerce and trade and boasted the nation’s third busiest port with as many as 50 steamboats, at any given time, loaded with goods and supplies anchored a mile-deep at its levee.
The “Slavery in St. Louis” exhibit utilizes primary sources, historical artifacts, and individual slave accounts to vividly illustrate slavery in St. Louis.
“While many people are familiar with the story of Dred and Harriet Scott, the history of slavery’s broader operation(s) in St. Louis is less well-known,” said Nathan Wilson, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site superintendent.
“This exhibit introduces visitors to our city’s complicated relationship with slavery.”
The accompanying exhibit, “The Freedom Suits,” created for the Law Library Association of Saint Louis (LLASTL), a public and membership law library in the Civil Courts Building downtown, includes original, rarely seen court pleadings of three different types of claims made by enslaved people seeking their freedom.
This exhibit also includes explanatory panels about:
(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 within 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 Sept. 3-Oct. 1. “The Freedom Suits” documents and explanatory panels will be on display from Sept. 3-Dec. 3. For additional information, contact Library Director Gail Wechsler at 314-622-4470 or at: gwechsler@llastl.org.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.
A full list of these events and information on how to sign up is at https://llastl.org/slavery-freedom-suits. To find out more about the exhibits or to arrange group visits, including school group visits, go to https://llastl.org/slavery-freedom-suits.
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