The year of 1857, during the month of March, one of the most disputed events prior to the civil war took place. The U.S Supreme Court issued what became as their decision on the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford. Why was was this case brought upon in the first place? Dred Scott brought the case before the court himself. Scott was looking for freedom from slavery. Before getting into the case, some information about Scott is mandatory. Scott, born sometime during the year of 1795, in Southampton County, Virginia. Where he was born into slavery. After several years, Scott’s first owner died, where then he was sold to a U.S. army doctor, Dr. Emerson. In 1836 Scott would go on to marry Harriett Robinson where her ownership was transferred over to …show more content…
Scott believed he deserved freedom due to Emerson living in slave free territories. The process for Scott to gain freedom began in 1846. Scott would go on to lose his first case in a local St. Louis district court, but in a second trial he would go on to win. Although the decision would go on to be overturned by the Missouri State Supreme Court. Eight years later, Scott filed another suit in 1854. The suit would be in federal court, again John Sanford, the owner and executive of the deceased Emerson’s property. Yet this case would also go on to be decided against Scott. He would go on to turn his battle to the Supreme Court. On March 6, 1857, the Supreme Court decided against Scott in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. This decision was issued eleven long years after his initial strike for freedom. The court announced that slaves were not citizens of the United States, therefore making their to be no rights to sue federal courts. The decision also stated that the Missouri Compromise, which was what made illinois and Wisconsin slave free states, was unconstitutional. The decision against Dred Scott created a widespread outrage in the northern states and happiness in the southern