Join us to see The Freedom Suits, an exhibit created for the Law Library Association by the Missouri State Archives. This exhibit returns to the Law Library Association on June 2, 2025 after a prior showing in the fall of 2024.
Approximately 400 lawsuits by enslaved people suing for their freedom were filed in Missouri. At least one third of them were successful. This is a remarkable statistic given that African American enslaved people were not allowed to appear in court and testify in their own lawsuits.
The Freedom Suits exhibit includes rarely-seen court pleadings of three different types of claims made by enslaved people seeking their freedom. The exhibit also will include explanatory panels about Freedom Suits in St. Louis, Freedom Suits in Missouri and a timeline of the Freedom Suits in comparison with other events taking place in the United States in the 1800s.
Presenting sponsors:
Law Library Association of St. Louis
Freedom Suits Memorial Foundation
Additional sponsors:
Individual sponsors:
Michael and Laura Ellenhorn
Thomas and Sara Neill
Organizational sponsors:
AJ Legal Services
Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice
The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Brown & Jame P.C.
Dowd Bennett LLP
Husch Blackwell
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Lexitas
Littler
Thompson Coburn LLP
Free and open to the public Monday- Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Contact Gail Wechsler at gwechsler@llastl.org to arrange group tours.
