Dred Scott
Born 1795?
Southampton County, Virginia
Died September 17, 1858
St. Louis, Missouri
Slave who sued unsuccessfully
to obtain his freedom
The U.S. Supreme Court's controversial
ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford increased
the hostility between North and South that led
to the Civil War
Dred Scott was a slave who challenged the institution of slavery in court. He filed a lawsuit arguing that he should be free since his master had taken him to live in free territory for several years. The historic case, known as Dred Scott v. Sandford, made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857. At this time, the Northern and Southern halves of the country were involved in a fierce debate about slavery and the extent to which the government should be allowed to control it.
The Supreme Court ruled that black Americans did not have the rights of citizens, so Scott was not entitled to file his lawsuit. The sweeping ruling also said that the U.S. government could not limit the spread of slavery to new states and territories—or even prevent people from holding slaves in free states—because the Constitution does not allow the government to deprive citizens of their property.
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