The Supreme Court: Citadel of Slavery

In this short work, taken from vol. 16, no. 4 of the CPUSA's theoretical journal The Communist, Elizabeth Lawson examines the role of the Supreme Court in combating the Abolitionist movement and supporting the Southern slaveholders in the perpetuation of slavery. She covers several important slave uprisings and escapes, as well as important laws and rulings such as the Fugitive Slave Act and the Dred Scott ruling and their affects. She draws parallels between the Supreme Court and its function as a "citadel of slavery" with its contemporary role in combating the labor movement through the same tactics and legal philosophies used against slaves and Abolitionists against what Lawson terms "class war prisoners." Lawson's work is an invaluable study of the Supreme Court and slavery, providing one of many case studies of how its evolution throughout American history has been nothing but reaction all along the line.

ISBN: 978-1-300-29249-4

53 Pages