1859 Dred Scott Decision Ad, Battle of Malegnano Centerfold, Venice Map — Jul 23

🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · July 23, 1859
Complete Issue · New York

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A historically exceptional issue — a back-page advertisement for the published text of the Dred Scott Decision, one of the most infamous Supreme Court rulings in American history, sitting alongside a double-page centerfold of the Battle of Malegnano, maps of Venice and Verona, a Zouave charge, and a continuing Dickens serialization. The Dred Scott advertisement makes this a primary document of how one of the most consequential legal decisions in American history was being marketed to the reading public two years after the ruling.

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⚖️ THE DRED SCOTT DECISION — ADVERTISED FOR SALE
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📜 BACK PAGE ADVERTISEMENT — "DRED SCOTT DECISION. OPINION OF CHIEF-JUSTICE ROGER B. TANEY"
A back-page advertisement for the published text of the Dred Scott Decision — the Supreme Court ruling of March 6, 1857 in which Chief Justice Roger B. Taney delivered the most notorious opinion in American judicial history, declaring that Dred Scott — an enslaved man who had lived for years in free states and territories — was not a citizen and had no right to sue in federal court, that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the territories, and that Black people, free or enslaved, "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." The ruling galvanized the abolitionist movement, enraged the North, emboldened the South, drove Abraham Lincoln to the center of national politics, and accelerated the nation's march toward civil war. The advertisement in this July 1859 issue — offering Chief Justice Taney's opinion for sale as a published text — is a remarkable and rare primary document of how the most divisive legal ruling of the antebellum era was being circulated and debated in the marketplace of ideas just two years before the Civil War. A significant piece of Black American history, constitutional history, and antebellum political history.

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⚔️ THE BATTLE OF MALEGNANO
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💥 DOUBLE-PAGE CENTERFOLD — "THE BATTLE OF MALEGNANO, FOUGHT JUNE 8, 1859"
A double-page centerfold of the Battle of Malegnano (Melegnano) — fought just four days after the decisive Battle of Magenta, in which the French IV Corps under Marshal Baraguey d'Hilliers stormed the town of Melegnano south of Milan against a stubborn Austrian rearguard. The battle was a vivid showcase of French military élan — the Zouaves and line infantry charging through the streets and gardens of the town against well-positioned Austrian defenders, suffering significant casualties before breaking through. A vivid and significant piece of Second Italian War of Independence history.

💥 HALF PAGE — "A ZOUAVE CHARGE ON THE BANK OF THE MINCIO"
A companion half-page illustration of French Zouaves charging on the banks of the Mincio River — the last major water obstacle before the Quadrilateral fortresses of the Austrian defensive line. A vivid piece of Risorgimento military history.

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🗺️ MAPS OF VENICE AND VERONA
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🗺️ TWO HALF-PAGE MAPS — "VENICE" AND "VERONA"
Two half-page maps of Venice and Verona — the great Austrian-held cities of Venetia that were the strategic prizes of the Italian War and the anchors of the Austrian Quadrilateral defensive system. A significant piece of Italian cartographic and military history at the war's climactic stage.

👤 QUARTER PAGE — "MARSHAL SCHLICK, COMMANDING 1ST AND 2ND AUSTRIAN ARMIES IN ITALY"
A portrait of Austrian Field Marshal Franz Heinrich von Schlick — one of the senior commanders of the Austrian forces being driven back across northern Italy. A significant piece of Austrian military history.

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📚 CHARLES DICKENS — "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" CONTINUES
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✍️ CONTINUING SERIALIZATION — "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" BY CHARLES DICKENS
A continuing installment of A Tale of Two Cities — the novel whose themes of revolution and justice resonate alongside both the Italian War and the Dred Scott advertisement in this issue.

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📋 CONDITION
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I photograph every page of every issue so you can inspect the condition closely before purchasing. Please review all images carefully and don't hesitate to ask any questions — I'm happy to provide additional detail or close-up shots of any page, illustration, or area of concern before you buy.

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📌 DETAILS
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Publication ········ Harper's Weekly
Date ··············· July 23, 1859
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Illustrated newspaper, complete in 16 pages

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📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION
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• Stored in an acid-free protective bag and flat-shipped in a padded envelope with heavy cardboard reinforcement
• Fully tracked for your peace of mind

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