Study

We will examine the litigation of ante-bellum freedom lawsuits brought by enslaved people in states from Massachusetts to Missouri and consider what, if anything, these cases tell us about lost judicial opportunities to deal meaningfully with slavery and racial inequality from the 18th century until now. The primary texts for the course will be Supreme Injustice by Paul Finkleman and A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation's Founding to the Civil War by William G. Thomas. In addition, we will read the decisions in key freedom suits from Massachusetts, Maryland and the District of Columbia, North Carolina, and Missouri, including the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott v. Sandford decision in 1857. Finally, we will discuss perspectives on some of the Supreme Court’s contemporary race decisions, including essays written by Randall Kennedy. Students will be required to write a 15-page paper on a topic of their choice that is approved in advance by the instructors.

The course will meet every two weeks on Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

Fall 2024

Course Number	Course Credits	Evaluation Method	Instructor
611.62	Course Credits 1	Reflective Writing Class participation	James E. Coleman, Jr., Jeffrey Tignor
Canvas site: https://canvas.duke.edu/courses/44504