I, Dred Scott: A Fictional Slave Narrative Based on the Life and Legal Precedent of Dred Scott

by Shelia Moses Narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez

Overview

Shelia P. Moses is a National Book Award Finalist who has brought to life the story of Dred Scott, a man born into slavery in the 1700s. In 1846, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet, filed a lawsuit for their freedom. After 11 years of debate, the case was settled in the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a decision declaring that Scott and his wife remain slaves. The controversy surrounding this case contributed to the already high tensions in the country in the days before the Civil War.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-This fast-paced story chronicles the life of the enslaved man best known for his lawsuit to win his freedom. While Scott is mentioned in most elementary American history textbooks, the details of his 11-year legal struggle are largely ignored. While acknowledging that he was fairly well treated by his owners, the book reinforces the fact that slaves were forced to work against their will, with no pay, and often separated from family members. The extent to which they were considered property is evident in this novel as Scott is moved about the country and hired out to others at the whim of his owners. The narrative is written in the dialect Scott would have spoken, which may make it difficult reading for some children. Also, Moses fails to give a real sense of her subject; Scott never expresses emotion inwardly or outwardly. Still, fans of historical fiction written in journal format, made popular by the "Dear America" series (Scholastic), will enjoy this story, which will reach even more students if read aloud. The book contains a foreword written by Dred Scott's great-grandson.-Anne L. Tormohlen, Deerfield Elementary School, Lawrence, KS Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

From 1846 to 1857, Dred Scott tried to get courts to recognize his right to freedom. His lawyers argued that since he had spent considerable time in free states he ought to be free, according to the Missouri Compromise. Lower courts went back and forth in a series of cases and appeals, and in 1857, in Scott v. Sanford, Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney read a 50-page, two-hour decision stating that African-Americans were not citizens and had no rights. Dred Scott remained a slave until a new owner granted him his freedom shortly thereafter. Moses's fictional slave narrative is an important work that gives voice to a pivotal American, whose case edged the nation closer to war. However, Scott's narrative voice seems disembodied; there's too little character development and historical context to make Dred Scott seem like a real person. Much is told, but there's no drama in the telling. Christensen's illustrations aptly complement the text, and the foreword by the great-grandson of Dred Scott will remind readers of Dred Scott's legacy. (author's note, the impact of the decision, chronology, bibliography) (Fiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171082727
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	02/24/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Foreword

When I first found out that Shelia Moses was writing a book based on the life and times of my great-grandfather, Dred Scott, I must say I was not sure about how it would turn out. I knew she had written Dick Gregory's autobiography, but Mr. Gregory was alive to speak for himself. My great-grandfather died without ever even learning to read or write. His wife and children were denied the right to any form of education. None of them had ever recorded their journey to freedom. How would Shelia Moses write about them and tell their story?

It occurred to me later that how she did it was not as important as simply telling his story. And she does tell his story — not the story of a court decision or a slave, but rather the story of a man, a husband, a father; and, yes, my great-grandfather.

My grandmother Lizzie Scott was Dred Scott's second-born child. She married my grandfather Henry Madison in the late 1800s, and they had a son, John Madison Sr., who was my father. All my life I have lived proudly as the descendant of a family that helped to change the course of the Civil War and the history of slavery.

Many books have been written about the Dred Scott Decision and all the judges, lawyers, and slave owners who played a part in what would happen to my ancestors. However, this book is different in that it is fiction based on facts that Shelia Moses uses to give depth to the story of my forefather and his family.

This book holds true to my great-grandfather's life; my great-grandmother's support; and my grandmother and her sister, who sat on the sidelines, probably in fear.

I hope that people all over the world will read and love the characters to which Shelia Moses has given so much love. I hope you will finish this book knowing that Dred Scott was different from the court ruling that said he was only one-fourth of a man. He was my great-grandfather — and the start of our legacy.

— John A. Madison Jr., great-grandson of Dred Scott

Foreword copyright © 2005 by John A. Madison Jr.

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