MC #2

ALEJANDRA BELTRAN

CODE 120

DR. JACK

MC #2

Reading the article called “THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN AND SLAVERY” opened my vision as to what is and is not talked about, about slavery in the botanical garden. I am sure that many of us, on the day we had our field trip, had doubts about why there is not a specific place that exposes and tells the stories of the Native Americans and African Americans whom Henry Shaw enslaved.

The article states the following:
Most of what is known about Shaw’s enslaved people comes from archived records that they have such as bills of sale, tax records, census records, newspaper advertisements, and a version of Shaw’s will. There are organizations dedicated to investigating history that have examined these documents before. Knowing this, we can all agree that these documents are of great value for this Project that we are currently undertaking. The stories of these people deserve to be told and although we are lucky to have these documents, there are also cons, such as dealing with a wicked problem that entails not being able to collect as much information as we would like.
Henry Shaw’s interactions were not isolated or hidden, however, this does not excuse Henry Shaw’s actions.
The following document shows a letter written by Henry Shaw after he arrived from England in which he refers to the commitment of Missouri saying: “The present session of the Congress of the United States has admitted Missouri into the Union as a slave state, that It is doubtful that slavery is a benefit to the country.” This statement is perfect for debating among us.

Once again I would like to emphasize that the document we are evaluating mentions that there is not enough information about the people that Henry Shaw owned. It is unfortunate to know that the only information they have is about their name, age, and skin color but there is not a single record of their lived experiences. The daily life and experiences of each of these individuals are unfortunately lost in history and this undoubtedly deserves a moment of reflection as well as giving us motivation to continue working on this Project and at least expose everything to which we have access and a record of.

Peach, Julieta, Bridgette, Coss, Lewis, Jose, Tabita, Sara, and her son, Jim, Esther, and Mary are some names mentioned in the article accompanied by a short description of who they were and what they did. Names that we must keep present and carry positively because I say it again, their stories deserve to be told.

Tax records still preserved in the botanical garden archives indicate that Shaw last owned slaves in 1855, but US census records showed eight people enslaved by Shaw in 1860. The seven women shown in this document are not recorded in their 1850 tax records or the census.

As we have already studied, the Botanical Garden was opened in 1859 but the records do not indicate whether slaves had the task of building the Garden itself.
Finally, the article tells us that the botanical garden is committed to taking advantage of all the documents they have, to tell the stories of those enslaved by Shaw and other marginalized people and groups who helped the Garden become what it is today. It is precisely here that we will take action with the Botanical Garden to reevaluate the signage and display of this topic to give meaning to the term Reparative Justice by making these stories a more prominent part of the visitor experience.