History of slavery in Minnesota facts for kids

Slavery was made illegal in Minnesota when it became a state in 1858. The state's constitution, written in 1857, clearly stated:

There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude from the State otherwise there is the punishment of crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.

This means that no one could be forced to work against their will in Minnesota, unless it was a punishment for a crime they were found guilty of.

Slavery in Early Minnesota History

Even though slavery was later forbidden, it was present in the area that became Minnesota for many years. This section explores how slavery existed before Minnesota became a state.

French Rule and Slavery Laws

During the early days of European exploration, the land that is now Minnesota was part of New France. This meant that the laws of New France, which allowed slavery, applied to this area.

United States Takes Over

Later, parts of Minnesota became part of the Northwest Territory of the United States. In 1787, a law called the Northwest Ordinance was passed. This law said that slavery was not allowed in the Northwest Territory, which included the eastern part of Minnesota.

However, even with this law, slavery continued in different ways. Some leaders of the territory, like Arthur St. Clair and Charles Willing Byrd, did not enforce the law against slavery. This allowed people to continue holding enslaved individuals.

Slavery at Fort Snelling

Fort Snelling was built in 1820. At this fort, fur traders and army officers used enslaved people for tasks like cooking, cleaning, and other household chores.

Even though it was against the Northwest Ordinance and another law called the Missouri Compromise (from 1820), about 15 to 30 enslaved African Americans worked at Fort Snelling at one time. Army officers even received extra money for keeping enslaved people.

Between 1855 and 1857, nine people were enslaved at Fort Snelling. The last army group that held enslaved people left in 1857. When Minnesota became a state in 1858, slavery was officially made illegal by its new constitution.

Enslaved People Fight for Freedom

Some enslaved women at Fort Snelling bravely went to court to gain their freedom.

A woman named Rachel was enslaved by Lieutenant Thomas Stockton. She was at Fort Snelling from 1830 to 1831. Later, she was sold in St. Louis. Rachel sued for her freedom, saying she had been illegally enslaved. In 1836, the Missouri Supreme Court agreed with her, and she became free.

Because of Rachel's case, another enslaved woman named Courtney and her son William also became free. They had been sold by a fur trader named Alexis Bailly in St. Louis in 1834.

The Dred and Harriet Scott Case

Dred and Harriet Scott were enslaved at Fort Snelling from 1836 to 1840. Dred was brought to the Fort by his enslaver, John Emerson, who was a doctor there. Harriet was brought to the Fort by Lawrence Taliaferro, who was an Indian agent and held many enslaved people in the area.

Harriet and Dred Scott got married at Fort Snelling around 1836 or 1837.

In 1840, John Emerson's wife, Irene Sanford Emerson, moved to St. Louis with the Scotts and their two children. In 1843, Dred and Harriet sued Irene Emerson for their freedom. They argued that because they had lived in free territories like Minnesota, they should be free.

They lost their first trial but won on appeal in 1850, gaining their freedom. However, Irene Emerson appealed this decision, and the Scotts lost their freedom again in 1852.

The case eventually went to the highest court in the country, the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1857, the Supreme Court decided that the Scotts' time in Minnesota did not make them free. They were still considered enslaved when they returned to Missouri.

This famous case, called Dred Scott v. Sandford, said that neither enslaved nor free African Americans were considered citizens. This meant they did not have the same rights as other U.S. citizens. The court's decision also made slavery legal in all U.S. territories, including Minnesota. Slavery remained legal in Minnesota for 14 months after this ruling, until it became a state. This case caused a lot of tension across the country and helped push the United States closer to the American Civil War.