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Book Review: An American Legacy

June 20th, 2009 at 12:15pm Albert McIlhenny

Dred Scott’s Revenge: A Legal History of Race and Freedom in America – Judge Anthony Napolitano Thomas Nelson (April 21, 2009) Topic: Politics Summary: History of the development of race relations in America Rating:

In Dred Scott’s Revenge, Judge Anthony P. Napolitano has given us a tremendous insight into the history of race relations in the United States. In so doing, he destroys the myth of the state as the righter of wrongs in the mistreatment of those of African decent. In fact, he makes a strong case that the government was as supportive as anyone of the practice of slavery and would later produce the environment that led to the Jim Crow laws.

In examining the fallout of slavery in America, a practice that openly violated the very principles upon which the nation was founded, the author traces the development of the practice in the New World, the development of a slave based economy, the events leading to the Civil War, and the resulting drama of reconstruction and the imposition of a quasi-slave status for blacks in the South.

The role played by social activism – both of the secular and religious variety – are detailed as well as their motivations. As for the state, the author makes clear that the issue was never really slavery but the state’s own survival. The freeing of the slaves was more a pragmatic decision to induce unrest in the South than it was to produce justice. Those slaves living in slave states that sided with the Union were to remain slaves.

There is also much insight into the mindset produced by such racism in an institutional form. The long term effect on African-Americans of state actions that make their very status in society dependent upon state action is one that never really acknowledges their own humanity independent of a governmental declaration. This can be seen in the sometimes willingness of some in the African-American community to believe the most bizarre conspiracy theories that make others question their sanity. Of course, when you have a history of the government actually conspiring against you, then new conspiracies will seem a lot saner.

It should be emphasized that Dred Scott’s Revenge is neither a liberal nor a conservative book (endorsements by Juan Williams of NPR and Glenn Beck of Fox News should be enough evidence) and both sides will nod their heads in agreement in some places and feel a might uncomfortable in others. It is, however, an honest assessment of the history of race relations that should be read by all who wish to honestly engage the issue.

Entry Filed under: Politics