dred scott - 1637 Words

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. Sanford case of 1857, popularly known as the Dred Scott Decision. The case was based on the fact that although he and his wife Harriet Scott were slaves, they had lived with his slave owner, Dr. John Emerson, in states and territories where slavery was illegal according to both state laws and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, including Illinois and Minnesota. The United States Supreme Court decided 7–2 against Scott, finding that neither he nor any other person of African ancestry could claim citizenship in the United States, and therefore Scott could not bring†¦show more content†¦The Blow family settled near Huntsville, Alabama, where they unsuccessfully attempted farming. In 1830 the Blow family took Scott with them when they relocated to St. Louis, Missouri. They sold him to John Emerson, a doctor serving in the United States Army. Marriage and family In 1836 Dred Scott met a teenaged slave named Harriet Robinson whose slave owner was Major Lawrence Taliaferro, an army officer from Virginia. Taliaferro allowed Scott and Harriet to marry and transferred his ownership of Harriet to Dr. Emerson so the couple could be together. In 1838, Harriet gave birth to their first child, Eliza. In 1840, they had another daughter they named Lizzie. Eventually, they would also have two sons, but neither survived past infancy. February 1838 in Louisiana, Dr. Emerson married Eliza Irene Sanford, and the Emerson’s and Scotts returned to Missouri in 1840. In 1842, Emerson left the Army. After he died in the Iowa Territory in 1843, his widow Eliza inherited his estate, including the Scotts. For three years after Emerson s death, she continued to lease out the Scotts as hired slaves. In 1846, Scott attempted to purchase his and his family s freedom, but Eliza Irene Emerson refused, prompting Scott to resort to legal recourse. Dred Scott case Having failed to purchase his freedom, in 1846 Scott filed legal suit in St Louis Circuit Court through the help of a local lawyer. Historical details about why Scott sought recourse in the courtShow MoreRelatedThe Case Of Dred Scott2015 Words   |  9 Pagesas people, but as black or white. Dred Scott was born a slave in Virginia and had to face these hardships his whole entire life. When he finally walked on to free soil where slavery was prohibited, he stayed and chose to still be with his owner. Once his owner died, he and his wife decided to sue for their freedom. Little did they know, that the rules only applied to certain people when they wanted them to. The Dred Scott Decision Introduction Dred Scott was a slave born in Southampton CountyRead MoreDred Scott s Dred 1072 Words   |  5 PagesSartori April, 2015 Research paper Dred Scott was a hardworking slave who fought to be free. He even went to the Supreme Court to ask for justice. His owner granted him freedom after that. He got a job and lived with his wife and two kids. Dred Scott was part of African-American history. He even helped move the country to the Civil War!(Source 1) But he died shortly after obtaining his freedom. Dred Scott was a slave born around 1775. His parents were slaves alsoRead MoreDred Scott Decision Essay1106 Words   |  5 Pagesridiculous to most of the Southern people. My second paragraph is about Dred Scott’s life. It will mostly be about his life before the case. The third paragraph will be information about the case in court. It will include many facts from the trials. The fourth paragraph will tell of the United States Supreme Court decision and its effects. It will also include people’s reactions to the final decision. â€Å"Dred Scott was an enslaved African American†, (Appleby 446-447). He was born intoRead MoreEssay on Dred Scott779 Words   |  4 Pages In this position paper I will explain the trials that Dred Scott had to go through in his life in his attempts for justice to be served. Dred Scott was born in 1799, and was an illiterate slave. His parents were slaves and so he was born the property of the Peter Blow family. In 1804 The United States took possesion of Missouri and after many debates on whether or not it would be a slavery state, a resolution known as the Missouri Compromise came along. This made a balance in the numberRead MoreThe Significance of Dred Scott2281 Words   |  10 PagesHistory 201 Dr. Eugenie Blang 12/10/2013 The Significance of Dred Scott Many times during our class discussions and lectures we tried to examine the stages leading up to the succession and Civil War in America. During the critical time period of the middle 19th century, the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision of the Supreme Court was one of those major treads on the pathway to secession. The man Dred Scott was taken to Missouri with Peter Blow as a slave from Virginia and sold. His new master fromRead MoreDred Scott and Slavery623 Words   |  2 PagesDred Scott was a man that grew up in the tough times of slavery. Scott was born around the year 1800 and died in 1858. As a young man and all the way up to his death he tried several times to gain freedom for his family and himself through the Missouri court system, but failed. Scott then took his case to a court in Missouri, where he won only to have the final decision revoked by the Supreme Court (â€Å"Dred Scott Biography†). The notorious outcome of Dred Scott v. Sandford case embarked the start of Read MoreDred Scott V. Sandford1454 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Dred Scott v. Sandford was decided in 1857, it made an enormous impact on the United States. It riled up both pro- and anti-slavery Americans. It angered many Americans in an extreme example of judicial activism. Some say it made the Civil War inevitable. By the time the dust had settled and the 13th and 14th Amendments reversed the Court’s decision, Dred Scott could be considered one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time. And yet, although the case was egregiously wrong, it stillRead MoreDred Scott Research Paper1429 Words   |  6 PagesThe Dred Scott Decision of 1857 ruled that African-Americans, even ones who were not enslaved, were not protected under The Constitution and could never be citizens. This brings up questions that will be answered in this paper. Should slaves be American citizens? Is it morally correct for one to own another human? Does the Dred Scott decision contradict The Declaratio n of Independence which states that every man is created equal? Who was Dred Scott? Dred Scott was born in Virginia about 1799 ofRead MoreDred Scott V. Sanford1309 Words   |  6 Pagessociety. Among these landmark disputes may be found issues as divisive as reproductive health, fundamental economic freedoms, the power of the Supreme Court and, of course, race. Among these, Dred Scott v. Sanford occupies a special place. Often called as the â€Å"worst decision made by the Supreme Court†, Dred Scott v. Sanford provided an impetus for slavers to continue an injustice that had existed since the colonial era . By deciding the way it did, the United States Supreme Court also created a divideRead MoreThe Dred Scott Case Analysis2202 Words   |  9 Pages Talbott 1 The Dred Scott case came at a very turbulent time in American history. It came at the midpoint of both the slavery argument and the brewing civil war. This case would be a deciding factor to see where the supreme court fell on the issue of slavery, and in a way, was a deciding factor in that slavery would not be something that could just go away. We’d have to fight to get rid of it, spill american blood over it. That seemed like an impossibility at the time though, this case was just another