Dred Scott Case

Dred Scott Case

In 1857, a man named Dred Scott faced injustice. Dred Scott was a slave who lived in a free state for more than two years. His owner, John Emerson, still kept him as a slave even though he was rightfully free. Because he lived in a free state and he was enslaved, he sued for his freedom. The Supreme Court denied him the right to sue because they considered him "property" instead of a citizen. They ruled that he was not a citizen so he could not sue.
This Supreme Court decision is important because it gave southerners hope that slavery would take over again. On the other hand, this case is important because Dred Scott gave hope to other slaves to speak out.



Portrait of Dred Scott: www.pbs.org