The Dred Scott Decision

Dred Scott was born into slavery around the year of 1800. He traveled westward with his master, Peter Blow, who passed away shortly afterward. Scott moved to Missouri with his new master, John Emerson, and then accompanied him to Illinois. Illinois was a free-state as decided by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

When Scott returned to Missouri in 1847, he sued for his freedom but lost the case on a technicality. Ten years later, Scott's case was brought to the United States Supreme Court. This created a lot of debate over whether or not black people had the right to testify in court. At this time, even people in anti-slave states didn't see blacks as complete equals who deserved the same rights. The Supreme court had to decide whether or not residency in a free-state would allow Scott to be freed from slavery once he returned to the South.

The Dred Scott decision became one of the most infamous cases in American history. It was decided that he had to return to slavery because black people were not American citizens, and therefore, did not have the right to sue in court. President Buchanan declared that black people could not become citizens because they were not truly part of the country's "political family." Fortunately, Scott was freed from slavery shortly afterward, but the effects of this decision were incredibly significant. The Court's decision was devastating to African slaves who had dreamed of freedom and citizenship. It was ruled that the Federal Government couldn't prohibit slavery in territories, which directly contradicted the Missouri compromise. This caused the northerners to have a negative view of the Supreme Court.

Dred Scott's experience demonstrates the struggles of African Americans in 19th century America. Even those who claimed to be against slavery didn't truly support equal rights. Slaves were seen as property rather than human beings. Many Americans used the Constitution to justify slavery. The issue of slavery was a major conflict that created a lot of controversy between the states.


https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dred-scott-decision