++ Dred Scott s Revenge A Legal History of Race and Freedom in America

Recently I finished reading Dred Scott's Revenge by Judge Andrew Napolitano. It is a detailed account of American racism over the past 200 years or so. Judge Napolitano, Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst, takes you through a historical perspective of racism in America, both in the North and South. The journey begins in the days of slavery, and comes all the way to our present day situation.



Being a fan of history, I already knew some of the information presented by the judge. I was familiar with some of the major court cases he presented, such as Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education, but I was unfamiliar with some of the other information he presented. For example, nowhere before this book had I read of the racism of Abraham Lincoln, or seen evidence of racism being perpetuated by the federal government in order to stay in power. Particularly members of the federal government, as Napolitano proves, avoided desegregation or promoted segregation in order to keep votes and stay in office, rather than make decisions that are in line with the Constitution(such as "all men are created equal"). The more I read the more I became angry, and the more I realized how much I didn't know on the subject.



Judge Napolitano covers everything from the sadistic scene surrounding most public lynchings to the unbelievably harsh treatment of African-Americans. Regarding the public lynchings, those who were hanged were done so in front of an eager audience, often times families who made it a festive occasion. After death those in the lynch mob would often cut up the victim's body into pieces and hand them out as souvenirs. Time magazine even noted that the Nazis "did not stoop to selling the souvenirs of Auschwitz."



We are taught in history class the evils of Nazi Germany. Don't get me wrong; the Nazis performed some of the cruelest acts even performed. The amazing thing is that most Americans don't realize that we, yes us, were treating people just as badly in our own country, and just like the Nazis, no one in the country did anything.



Racism caused whites to hang, burn, beat, mutilate, dismember, drag behind wagons, urinate and defecate upon, rape, maime, and murder blacks. Why? For no other reason than the fact that they were black. This practice was permitted, and often encouraged, by government officials for nearly 100 years after the Civil War ended, and nobody did anything to stop it.



I must admit, this book made me absolutely furious. I was astounded to see quotes from presidents such as Lincoln and JFK that were blatantly racist, yet seemed okay in their culture. There are very few things that make me fightin' mad quickly, and racism is one of those things. If ever I encounter white supremacists, I just may do things that put me in jail.
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More Detail For Dred Scott s Revenge A Legal History of Race and Freedom in America

• ISBN13: 9781595552655
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

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