Dre Scott v. Sandford Case

Scott was born into slavery in Southampton, Virginia around the turn of the century, usually assumed to be 1795. While he was born into slavery, it is unknown whether or not the Blow family had ownership of his parents before his birth. After Mr. Blows death in the early 1830s, Scott was sold to John Emerson, a U.S. army doctor. He was married in 1836 to Harriett Robinson and her ownership was transferred to Dr. Emerson when they we married. Emerson traveled to Illinois and the Wisconsin Territories, which both outlawed slavery. When he died Scott tried to but his and his family’s freedom, but his widow denied his request. Justice Nelson, an American attorney and a Justice of the Supreme Court, was originally going to argue how he thought the case belonged to the state instead of the federal court. This brought up a lot of controversy and some people from northern states started to take Dred Scott’s side. They believed that Scott should be freed under the Missouri Compromise, but the Court’s southerners wanted to rule the compromise unconstitutional. The court then ruled that Scott was not a citizen, and this decision was led by Chief Justice Roger Taney. After the case was over, the tension between north and south states grew bigger, leading up to war three years later. Mr. Justice Curtis, and Mr. Justice McLean.Dissents from 1:the opinion that a person of African descent cannot be a citizen of the United States.2: that of the authority to examine the constitutionality of the act of Congress called the Missouri Compromise.3: the grounds and conclusions announced in their opinion. Opponents of slavery fiercely attacked the Dred Scott decision. It was a victory for slave states over the free states. That fear of the next Dred Scott decision shocked many in the North who had been content to accept slavery as long as it was confined within its then present borders.

With tough challenges of the court Scott was able to be a free man, he became know as a celebrity for his courage and justice