...The Dred Scott Case Scott v. Sandford was Dred Scott’s second attempt at suing for his freedom. Not only did this case spark conflicts between the North and South, but it also was a cause for the Civil War. Even today, a court case has not received as much controversy as Scott v. Sandford (Dred Scott…Case). The controversial case of Dred Scott can be examined through Scott’s motive for suing, the harsh opinion of the Chief Justice, and the outcome and influence of the case. Scott was traveling with his master, John Emmerson, to Illinois and the Wisconsin territory as part of Emmerson’s job and after the death of Emmerson in 1843, Scott decided to sue Emmerson’s wife for his freedom in the state court. He stated that living in free soil made him a free man, but this court case did not go in his favor (Dred Scott v. Sandford). After this court case, Emmerson’s wife sold him to her brother-in-law, John...
Words: 586 - Pages: 3
...Dred Scott was an enslaved African American who was a prominent figure in one of the most well-known court decisions in our history. He was born in Virginia around 1800, owned by Peter Blow and Elizabeth Taylor. Scott worked for the Blows, but later became Dr. John Emerson's body servant when Elizabeth and Peter died in 1831. Scott moved to Fort Armstrong, Illinois, which was the first time Scott had lived in “free” land. In 1836, Dred Scott met Harriet Robinson, a slave owned by a local justice, who soon became his wife. In 1843, Dr. Emerson died, and Dred Scott started to seek freedom. On April 6th, 1846, Dred Scott and Harriet attempted to file suit against Mrs. Emerson to gain freedom. Friends of Scott had encouraged him to sue for freedom, since he had once lived in free territory. Like the Missouri Courts had supported in the past, “once free, always free.” After going to trial on June 30, 1847, the case was dismissed because Scott couldn’t prove that he and his wife were owned by Dr. Emerson. However, in 1850, the case was retried, and the jury recalled the Scotts free! Sadly, Mrs. Emerson wouldn’t accept the court’s decision, Scott became a slave, again. Instead of giving up, Scott received assistance from new lawyers and other supporters, and his case reached the U.S. Supreme Court. On March 6, 1857 Scott learned the decision of his case. Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice, revealed, or made previously unknown known, that Dred Scott and his family’s freedom was inevitable...
Words: 399 - Pages: 2
...Dred Scott vs. Sanford: The Dred Scott vs. Sanford case is one of the most important cases that have ever been tried in the United States of America and was heard in the Old Courthouse of St. Louis. This case that is usually known as the Dred Scott Decision was a ruling by the Supreme Court of America that African people imported into the country and detained as slaves were not protected by the U.S Constitution and could never be American citizens. Dred Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom from his master in a Missouri court in the year 1846. As part of his arguments, Dred Scott claimed that he resided in Illinois which was a free state and part of the Louisiana Territory. Therefore, he claimed that he was a free man because of his residence in a free territory in which slavery was prohibited by the 1820 Missouri Compromise (“Dred Scott v. Sanford” par, 1). However, Dred Scott’s suit for freedom in the local federal court in Missouri was unsuccessful. Eleven years later after his initial suit in the Missouri court, Scott brought a new suit in the United States’ Supreme Court. This was after the federal court ordered the jury to depend on Missouri law for the conclusion of the case regarding Scott’s freedom. Additionally, Scott decided to appeal to the United States’ Supreme Court following the decision of the Missouri Supreme Court to consider him as a slave. In his defense, Scott’s master maintained that the American Constitution did not allow people of African...
Words: 2148 - Pages: 9
...Name Tutor Course Date Dred Scott v. Sandford The United States Supreme Court in March 1857 ruled that free blacks and black slaves were never citizens and would never gain citizenship in the United States. Additionally, the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney made a declaration that 1820 Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional thereby legalizing slavery countrywide. The Plaintiff Dred Scott had appealed to the Supreme Court to gain his freedom after living in the Free States of Illinois and Wisconsin before moving to the slave state of Missouri (Van and Maltz, p.144). The Judge Taney, who staunchly supported slavery, wrote that because Scott was black which nullified his citizenship had no right to sue in the federal courts. This ruling was in agreement with the Court's majority opinion. In his writing, he emphasized how the Negro belonged to the white man as of property, and the white man could reduce him to slavery as he wished (O'Connor, and Yanus, p.120). He further wrote that the black man had no protection from the Declaration of Independence that justifies all men to be equal because the intent of the Declaration of Independence was not to include the enslaved African race. Scott had sued in a state court in 1846 for his freedom because he had sojourned in a free state for a surmountable amount of time. In 1840, the state court made a declaration that Scott was free. Mr. Sanford appealed this decision to the Missouri Supreme Court (Cromwell, p.165)...
Words: 422 - Pages: 2
...In the state of Virginia in 1795, Dred Scott was born into slavery. He was owned by Mr. Peter Blow and Mrs. Elizabeth Blow of Southampton, Virginia. One year prior to Alabama territory being admitted to the Union, the Blow Family and their property relocated to the Huntsville area in hopes of tending to successful farming. In 1830, As a result of ineffective farming in Alabama, Mr. Blow retired from farming and the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri. One year later, Mr. Peter, the owner of Dred Scott, passed away. Dred Scott was then sold in 1832 to a US Army Surgeon Dr. John Emerson. Thus, Dred Scott’s enslavement and extensive military travel under Dr. Emerson began when he moved to Fort Armstrong of Rock Island, Illinois. As a military...
Words: 380 - Pages: 2
...Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man who sued for his freedom in front of the Supreme Court in 1857. Dred Scott was moved to Illinois, which was a free state and lived there for a long time. His owner moved him back to a slave state and said that he still isn't free even though he lived in a free state. Congress had said that if a slave lives in a free state for a certain amount of time, the become free. Sanford did not agree and so he took it to court. The first time they were in favor of Sanford so Scott appealed to the Supreme Court, but the Supreme court also ruled in Sanford's favor saying that Dred Scott was not a person, he was property and therefore could not file a lawsuit because he was not a citizen of the United States. They also declared that congress did not have power to outlaw slavery in any territory. Eventually someone bought Scott and set him free. In Chief Justice Taney’s statement the claim he makes is that Dred Scott is not a person, he was property and therefore could not file a lawsuit because he was not a citizen of the United States. Slaves do not count as citizens and do not apply to “we the people” in the Declaration of...
Words: 540 - Pages: 3
...Douglas believed that the Declaration of Independence did not refer to the black race when they said that “all men are created equal”. He states that “they referred to the white race alone, and not to the African”. His interpretation of it was that it was directed to only those who were born in Great Britain, as well as resided there. Lincoln’s interpretation of the Declaration, however, was that it would offer more than just the freedom to British man. He even states that “I had thought the Declaration contemplated the progressive improvement in the condition of all men everywhere”, however it does not and Lincoln felt that the Declaration was of no use now if it referred to only those who were British. In his response to the Dred Scott decision, Lincoln mentions that all men are to be created equal and are entitled to the natural rights. Although he believed that the decision was unfair, he did still support colonization of free blacks because he believed that he could at least stop slavery from spreading into the free states. His initial aim was to preserve the union, without ending slavery where he seems to contradict his own beliefs. However, the purpose was that he felt that those who were free, deserved all the rights of a white man, however, those still in slavery, had to live under the conditions they were born to because they were still considered chattel. Based on this document, it definitely seems as if Abraham Lincoln could be considered an abolitionist...
Words: 358 - Pages: 2
...Dred Scott Vs. Stanford Dred Scott was a 62-year-old slave who sued the Supreme Court in 1857 for his freedom after spending time on territory where slavery was prohibited. The Supreme Court’s pro-slavery decision pleased the Southern Democrats and angered the Northern Republicans. Eventually leading to more abolitionists and Republican fighting to gain control of Congress and the courts. The result of their well led campaign was the election of Abraham Lincoln and brought the country to the verge of the Civil War. Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri from 1833 to 1843. He then was taken to the free territory of Louisiana, lived there for two years and then moved back to Missouri. When in Missouri, Dred Scott went to the Missouri Court and...
Words: 293 - Pages: 2
...Justin Fortuny 9/29/16 Mrs. Perez Period 8 Dred Scott v. Sandford Dred Scott v. Sandford was in 1856-1857. This was when the Supreme Court stated that African Americans were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. During this time, the Court also ruled that Congress lacked the power to ban slavery on U.S. territories. After, the Court declared that the rights of slave owners were protected by the Fifth Amendment because slaves were seen as property. This means that slaves were seen as objects and something you can buy with money. This problem began in 1833, when Dr. John Emerson bought Dred Scott and eventually moved Scott to a base in the Wisconsin Territory. Slavery was banned in the territory near the Missouri Compromise. Scott lived there for the next four years. He hired himself out for work during the long stretches when Emerson was away. During 1840, Scott, his wife, and their children moved to Louisiana and then to St. Louis with Emerson. Emerson died in 184.This left the Scott family to his wife (Eliza Irene Sanford). In 1846, after years of laboring, the Scotts wanted to buy their freedom from Sanford, but she refused. Dred Scott then sued Sanford in a state court, arguing that he was legally free because he...
Words: 805 - Pages: 4
...Slavery Dred Scott was an enslaved African American man in the United States who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom and that of his wife and their two daughters in the Dred Scott v Sandford case of 1857, popularly known as the ¨Dred Scott Decision.¨ He is important because he lived in a state where slavery was prohibited, but wasn't entitled to his freedom because of his race. This led to African Americans becoming enraged with the U.S. government for not having civil rights. (Sam McAnulty) The ad that is shown is talking about an auction that is going to take place selling a young girl slave, tools, and dried goods. In my opinion, I believe that it is sad that someone is being sold at the same time as food is being sold. They are not treating the slaves like...
Words: 1233 - Pages: 5
...Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri who then resided in Illinois, a free state, for ten years. Scott soon returned to Missouri in hopes of suing for his freedom, claiming that residing in Louisiana made him a free man. Dred Scott’s owner claimed that no African American of African descent and slave descendant should be honored a free man in the sense of Article III in the Constitution. The Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1856 had a majority ruling of 7-2, which held portions of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 unconstitutional in violation of the Fifth Amendment. This treated Scott as property rather than a human being. The opposing side stated that before the Constitution was written native-born citizens of African descent were citizens and some were even able to vote;...
Words: 721 - Pages: 3
...Brief description During the 1800’s slavery was a major issue in the U.S. One of the most controversial case was Dred Scott v. Stanford (1857). Scott was a born a slave and was owned to his master Peter. When Scott’s owner died, Peter appointed Dr. John Emerson as Scott’s new slave owner. Emerson was the new slave owner of Scott and traveled to Illinois and Missouri where slavery was outlawed by the Missouri Compromise. Scott wanted his freedom, but his slave owner did not agree with him so the debate ended up in the Supreme Court. Jurisdiction In the beginning, the Supreme Court Justices held that the case had no jurisdiction because Scott was not a considered a citizen. The court was limited to cases between citizens of the states therefore...
Words: 1023 - Pages: 5
...Dred Scott Dred Scott was the name of an African-American slave. He was taken by his master, an officer in the U.S. Army, from the slave state of Missouri to the free state of Illinois and then to the free territory of Wisconsin. He lived on free soil for a long period of time. When the Army ordered his master to go back to Missouri, he took Scott with him back to that slave state, where his master died. In 1846, Scott was helped by Abolitionist lawyers to sue for his freedom in court, claiming he should be free since he had lived on free soil for a long time. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Roger B. Taney, was a former slave owner from Maryland. In March of 1857, Scott lost the decision as seven out of nine Justices on the Supreme Court declared no slave or descendant of a slave could be a U.S. citizen, or ever had been a U.S. citizen. As a non-citizen, the court stated, Scott had no rights and could not sue in a Federal Court and must remain a slave. At that time there were nearly 4 million slaves in America. The court's ruling affected every enslaved and free African-American in the United States. The Supreme Court also ruled that Congress could not stop slavery in the newly emerging territories and declared the Missouri Compromise of 1820 to be unconstitutional. The Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery north of the parallel 36°30´ in the Louisiana Purchase. The Court declared it violated the Fifth...
Words: 393 - Pages: 2
...The Dred Scott Decision History Paper “Dred Scott decision, formally Dred Scott v. John F.A. Sandford, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on March 6, 1857, ruled (7–2) that a slave (Dred Scott) who had resided in a free state and territory (where slavery was prohibited) was not thereby entitled to his freedom; that African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States; and that the Missouri Compromise (1820), which had declared free all territories west of Missouri and north of latitude 36°30′, was unconstitutional. The decision added fuel to the sectional controversy and pushed the country closer to civil war.” Dred Scott was a Missouri slave who had a supreme court case which became one of the big pushes towards...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...The main purpose of the civil rights movement was for everyone to have equal rights regardless of skin color, gender, nationality, religion, disability or age. Dred Scott was told that he was not a citizen of the United States because he was a negro. Well that was until he took it to court. Browns case was made for "separate but equal" public schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional. The case of Shelley vs Kreamer helped change the outlook today on African Americans owning property. There are three court cases that changed the path of the civil rights which include: The Dred Scott vs Standford case , Brown vs the Board of Education case, and Shelly vs Kreamer case. Dred Scott is a man that went to court to sue against Standford for the right to be considered a citizen and not a piece of property. From 1833- 1843 Dred Scott stayed in Illinois because of the Louisiana territory was forbidden by the Missouri Compromise of 1820. After moving back to Missouri Scott sued for his freedom but was unsuccessful. Then that's when he brought a new case to court. Scotts master says that " no pure-blooded Negro of African descent and the descendant of slaves could be a citizen in the sense of Article III of the Constitution." Dred Scott sued for his freedom and when that didn't work he didn't let it stop him. He...
Words: 551 - Pages: 3
