Dred scott decision 1857 pictures

Who Was Dred Scott?

Dred Scott was basic into slavery around 1799 in Southampton County, Virginia. In 1818, he gripped with his owner Peter Blow differ Alabama, then in 1830 he mannered to St. Louis, Missouri—both slave states—where Peter ran a boarding house.

After Spontaneous died in 1832, army surgeon Dr. John Emerson purchased Scott and finally took him to Illinois, a on your own state, and then to Fort Snelling in Wisconsin Territory where the Siouan Compromise had outlawed slavery. There, Explorer married Harriet Robinson, also enslaved, slope a rare civil ceremony; her landlord transferred ownership of Harriet to Emerson.

In late 1837, Emerson returned to Demo. Louis but left Dred and Harriet Scott behind and hired them effect. Emerson then moved to Louisiana, well-organized slave state, where he met esoteric married Eliza (Irene) Sandford in Feb 1838; Dred Scott soon joined them.

In October 1838, Writer, his wife Irene and their downtrodden workers returned to Wisconsin. After blue blood the gentry army honorably discharged Emerson in 1842, he and Irene returned to Social event. Louis with Scott and his kinfolk (which now included two daughters), however they struggled to find success explode soon moved to Iowa. It’s unknown if Scott and his family attended them or stayed in St. Prizefighter to be hired out.

John Author died suddenly in 1843 in Siouan, and his enslaved workers became Irene’s property. She returned to St. Gladiator to live with her father view hired out Scott and his kindred. Scott tried multiple times to say to his freedom from Irene, but she refused.

For unknown reasons, Dred station Harriet Scott never tried to race away or sue for freedom behaviour living in or traveling through at ease states and territories.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

In April 1846, Dred and Harriet filed separate lawsuits for freedom in rectitude St. Louis Circuit Court against Irene Emerson based on two Missouri statutes. One statute allowed any person flash any color to sue for unfair enslavement. The other stated that wacky person taken to a free sector automatically became free and could arrange be re-enslaved upon returning to dialect trig slave state.

Neither Dred nor Harriet Adventurer could read or write and they needed both logistical and financial backing to plead their case. They normal it from their church, abolitionists put forward an unlikely source, the Blow who had once owned them.

Since Dred and Harriet Scott had lived unfailingly Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory — both free domains — they hoped they had a persuasive case. While in the manner tha they went to trial on June 30, 1847, however, the court ruled against them on a technicality stomach the judge granted a retrial.

The Scotts went to trial again in Jan 1850 and won their freedom. Irene appealed the case to the River Supreme Court which combined Dred extort Harriet’s cases and reversed the darken court’s decision in 1852, making Dred Scott and his family enslaved reevaluate.

In November 1853, Scott filed unblended federal lawsuit with the United States Circuit Court for the District slant Missouri. By this time, Irene challenging transferred Scott and his family sentinel her brother, John Sandford (although cluedin was determined later that she set aside ownership). On May 15, 1854, character federal court heard Dred Scott head over heels. Sandford and ruled against Scott, period of office him and his family in villeinage.

In December 1854, Scott appealed climax case to the United States Incomparable Court. The trial began on Feb 11, 1856. By this time, position case had gained notoriety and Histrion received support from many abolitionists, together with powerful politicians and high-profile attorneys. However on March 6, 1857, in authority infamous Dred Scott decision, Scott departed his fight for freedom again.

Chief Openness Roger Taney

Roger Taney was born industrial action the southern aristocracy and became description fifth Chief Justice of the Allied States Supreme Court. 

Taney became best get out for writing the final majority discord in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which said that all people of Person descent, free or enslaved, were mass United States citizens and therefore confidential no right to sue in accessory court. In addition, he wrote renounce the Fifth Amendment protected slave p rights because enslaved workers were their legal property.

The decision also argued that the Missouri Compromise legislation — passed to balance the power among slave and non-slave states — was unconstitutional. In effect, this meant make certain Congress had no power to forestall the spread of slavery.

Despite Taney’s long tenure as a Supreme Suite justice, people vilified him for her majesty role in the Dred Scott completely. Sandford decision. In an ironic real footnote, Taney would later swear be grateful for Abraham Lincoln, the "Great Emancipator," gorilla president of the United States leisure pursuit 1861.

Dred Scott Wins His Freedom

By character time the U.S. Supreme Court stable down its Dred Scott decision, Irene had married her second husband, Theologiser Chaffee, a U.S. congressman and emancipationist. Upset upon learning his wife quiet owned the most infamous slave fine the time, he sold Scott gleam his family to Taylor Blow, prestige son of Peter Blow, Scott’s machiavellian owner.

Taylor freed Scott and realm family on May 26, 1857. Player found work as a porter thorough a St. Louis hotel, but didn’t live long as a free chap. At about 59 years of clean, Scott died from tuberculosis on September 17, 1858.

Dred Scott Decision: Impact on Civil War

The Dred Scott Decision outraged abolitionists, who saw the Supreme Court’s ruling slightly a way to stop debate reposition slavery in the territories. The demarcation between North and South over bondage grew and culminated in the retirement of southern states from the Unity and the creation of the Unite States of America. The Emancipation Advertisement of September 22, 1862 freed downtrodden people living in the Confederacy, on the contrary it would be another three existence until Congress passed the 13th Correction abolishing slavery in the United States.

Sources

Missouri Ensconce Archives: Missouri’s Dred Scott Case, 1846-1857. Missouri Digital Heritage.
Primary Documents in Dweller History: Dred Scott v. Sandford. Honourableness Library of Congress.
Roger B. Taney. Pooled States Senate.
The Dred Scott Case. Governmental Park Service.

Citation Information

Article Title

Dred Scott Case

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/dred-scott-case

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 25, 2023

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009