Becoming Free: Dred and Harriet Scott, Juneteenth, and the Unfinished Promise of 1776
Juneteenth MasterClass
Tuesday, June 16
Noon — 1 pm
Virtual
As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, Juneteenth invites us to reflect on freedom not as a completed achievement but as an ongoing process. This masterclass explores the long struggle for freedom through the story of Dred and Harriet Scott, whose years of residence at Fort Snelling in Minnesota Territory became central to one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions in American history.
From the Scotts’ fight for freedom to the announcement of General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, the meaning of emancipation has always been contested, delayed, and reshaped by those determined to make the nation live up to its promises.
Using Minnesota as a lens into the national story, this session examines the idea of “becoming free”—the legal, political, and cultural struggles that transformed freedom from aspiration into lived reality. As the nation reflects on its founding ideals at 250, the story of Juneteenth reminds us that freedom in America has never been a single moment, but a process forged through resilience, struggle, and collective action.
