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Dred Scott

Dred Scott. And The case for freedom. Slave Life. Dred Scott was born as a slave in Virginia in 1795, and sold to his owner, Peter Blow, a Missouri plantation owner After Peter Blow’s death in 1832, Scott was transferred to the ownership of Dr. John Emerson, an army surgeon

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Dred Scott

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  1. Dred Scott And The case for freedom

  2. Slave Life • Dred Scott was born as a slave in Virginia in 1795, and sold to his owner, Peter Blow, a Missouri plantation owner • After Peter Blow’s death in 1832, Scott was transferred to the ownership of Dr. John Emerson, an army surgeon • Emerson brought Scott back with him to the free State of Illinois

  3. Slave Life Cont… • In 1836, after two years in Illinois, Scott was brought with Dr.Emerson to a fort in Wisconsin, also a free territory • Scott never made a claim to freedom in these free states, either unaware of his rights or happy with his situation there • After Scott was brought back to Missouri, Emerson died in 1843, leaving Scott to be hired by Emerson’s widow to an army captain

  4. Suing for Freedom • No longer content with his situation, he offered to buy his freedom for 300 dollars, an offer refused • Scott believed that the years he spent in the free states of Wisconsin and Illinois made him a free man, seeing as this was often the way that things worked in the region • In 1847, Scott lost his court case due to the fact that he couldn’t prove he was actually owned by Emerson’s widow

  5. Dred Scot V. Sanford • After losing his case in the United States Circuit Court of Missouri in 1854, Scott sought to bring his case to the U.S. Supreme Court • Representing the Defence, was Mrs.Emerson’s brother John Sanford, from New York • Of the nine Supreme court Justices of 1854, 7 had been appointed by pro-slavery presidents and 5 were from families owning slaves

  6. Dred Scott V. Sanford • A previous decision had given States the sole right to determine the status of their inhabitants • What the case broke down to was: whether The Court had the ability to argue the case (considering the powers of the states), and whether Scott was actually a citizen

  7. Outcome and Impact • In 1857, The United States Supreme Court ruled that no slave or descendent of a slave could ever be, or ever was a citizen • Thus, Scott had no right to sue in federal court • Additionally, the Missouri compromise (restricting slavery in certain territory) of 1820 was ruled unconstitutional

  8. Outcome and Impact • The decision pleased many southerners, but infuriated the North • The case was a major reason for the Election of anti-slavery candidate Abraham Lincoln, and the following secession of the southern states • The case had a profound impact on America, and is commonly know as one of the most infamous cases in Supreme Court History

  9. Bibliography • http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/dred_scott.html • http://libraries.wustl.edu/vlib/dredscott/new_exhibits/ds01.htmll • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html • http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/africanamerican/scott/scott.asp

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