Dred Scott V. Sandford Case Of 1857 - 1203 Words

Dred Scott (c. 1799 – September 17, 1858) 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. Sandford case of 1857, popularly known as the Dred Scott Decision. Scott claimed that he and his wife should be granted their freedom because they had lived in Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory for four years, where slavery was illegal. 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 suit in federal court under diversity of citizenship rules. Moreover, Scott s temporary†¦show more content†¦Louis, Missouri, where they ran a boarding house.[6] Dred Scott was sold to Dr. John Emerson, a surgeon serving in the United States Army. After Scott learned he would be sold to Dr. Emerson and relocated to Rock I sland, Illinois, he attempted to run away. His decision to do so was spurred by a distaste he had previously developed for Dr. Emerson. Scott was temporarily successful in his escape as he, much like many other runaway slaves during this time period, never tried to distance his pursuers, but dodged around among his fellow slaves as long as possible. Eventually, he was captured in the Lucas Swamps of Missouri and taken back.[7] Blow died in 1832, and historians debate whether Scott was sold to Emerson before or after Blow s death. Some believe that Scott was sold in 1831, while others point to a number of slaves in Blow s estate after his death were sold to Emerson, among them was one with a name given as Sam, who may be the same person as Scott.[1] As an army officer, Dr. Emerson moved frequently, taking Scott with him to each new army posting. In 1836, Emerson and Scott went to Fort Armstrong, in the free state of Illinois. In 1837, Emerson took Scott to Fort Snelling, in what is now the state of Minnesota and was then in the free territory of Wisconsin. There, Scott met and married Harriet Robinson, a slave owned by Lawrence Taliaferro. The marriage was formalized in a civil ceremony presidedShow MoreRelatedEssay on Dred Scott v. Sandford1088 Words   |  5 PagesDred Scott v. Sandford Dred Scott was born a slave in the state of Virginia around the 1800s. Around 1833 he was purchased from his original owner, Peter Blow, by John Emerson, an officer in the United States Army. Dr. Emerson took Dred Scott to the free state of Illinois to live, and under its constitution, he was eligible to be free. In around 1836, Dred Scott and his owner moved to Wisconsin territory, a territory that was free under the Missouri compromise. It was in Wisconsin thatRead MoreDred Scott V. Sanford Case1718 Words   |  7 PagesProfessor Young Political Science 22 July 2016 Dred Scott v. Sanford Supreme Court Case According to William A. Darity, Duke University Professor, â€Å"Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) was a major U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with the status of slaves in the United States.† Britannica.com states that â€Å"Dred Scott decision, formally Dred Scott v. John F.A. Sandford, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on March 6, 1857, ruled (7–2) that a slave (Dred Scott) who had resided in a free state and territoryRead MoreDred Scott V. Sandford Essay829 Words   |  4 PagesAmanda Turnbull Ms. Miller U.S. History I Enriched 25 February 2013 Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) 　　　　Slavery was at the root of the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford. Dred Scott sued his master to obtain freedom for himself and his family. His argument was that he had lived in a territory where slavery was illegal; therefore he should be considered a free man. Dred Scott was born a slave in Virginia around 1800. Scott and his family were slaves owned by Peter Blow and his family. He moved toRead MoreDred Scott V. Sandford was a lawsuit filed in 1846 by Dred Scott, an African- American slave800 Words   |  4 PagesDred Scott V. Sandford was a lawsuit filed in 1846 by Dred Scott, an African- American slave because he wanted to gain freedom not only for himself but for his family. This case became a landmark legal case in the United States history. Dred Scott was basically arguing that because his owner had taken him into a free state where African Americans were free. The United states Supreme court said that since he was a slave now he could not become free. Slaves were not considered as United States citizensRead MoreDred Scott Is Not Reasonable Or Logical?799 Words   |  4 PagesThe decision that was made in the 1857 by the Supreme Court about Dred Scott becoming a freeman was not reasonable or logical. In the 1850’s the nation was faced with a struggle over slavery that would threaten to tear the West apart; the free states from the slave states. The main question that Dred Scott argued was whether a slave’s status overrode his previous situation when he entered a free state or territory. During the course of time, slaves had slave owners. Slaves were not considered peopleRead MoreThe Dred Scott Case Against Slavery1124 Words   |  5 Pagesterritories to threaten the Union. Throughout the decades, many compromises were made to avoid disunion. But the Constitution was not clear on this subject which created quite the discussion nationwide when raised in 1857 before the Supreme Court in the form of the Dred Scott case. The Dred Scott decision was an eye-opener to Northerners that believed slavery was acceptable as long as it stayed in the South. If the decision took away any power Congress once had to regulate slavery in new territories, slaveryRead MoreEssay about Chief Justice Taney and Slavery1745 Words   |  7 Pagesfunctions of an impartial judicature.†[1] The 1857 Dred Scott decision proved that Chief Justice Roger Taney’s sadistic racism could be eclipsed only by his unbounded arrogance. Using outright lies regarding the intentions of the Framers, he temporarily sacrificed the entire African race, and directed the Supreme Court to move in and illegitimate and supercede the powers vested to Congress by the Constitution. Dred Scott brought the integrity of the court into question as Taney twistedRead MoreDiscrimination And Its Effects On Today s Society1331 Words   |  6 Pagesfirst formed by the harsh language used present during slavery in the cases of Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) and Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) assisting in the mortality gap between â€Å"blacks† and â€Å"whites†. However, what we neglect to recall are the stark reasons why inequality exists: the social roles of subordinates and dominates. By evaluating the exclusionary and dehumanizing language present in both Dred Scott v. S andford and Plessy v. Ferguson that shapes the negative perspective projected on peopleRead 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 ofRead MoreEssay on American Slavery967 Words   |  4 Pagesincident was taking place that would anger Northerners; the Dred Scott Case. Dred Scott v. Sandford was a case that was brought before the Supreme Court in 1857, in which Dared Scott a former slave tried to buy his family’s freedom after their master died. Irene Sandford , the wife of Dred Scott’s master, refused to let Dred Scoot buy his family. Eventually the Supreme Court decided in favor of Irene Sandford based on the grounds that Scott was African and not a citizen of the US which meant he did