By Alexander M. Barker

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Born as a slave in the late 1700sOwned by the Blow familyParents are unknownLived in Southampton County, VAMoved to Alabama; then Missouri, along with

Blow family

Dred Scott’s Early Life

https://hild2b.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/page/3/

Robert Blow, Dred’s owner, died in the 1830sDred was bought by Dr. John EmersonEmerson was an army doctorHe took Dred to Illinois, Wisconsin, Louisiana,

and MissouriHe also took Dred to Fort Armstrong and Fort

Snelling

New Owner

http://becuo.com/dr-john-emerson-dred-scott

While at Fort Snelling, Dred met and fell in love with Harriet Robinson

She was a slave owned by another army doctor

They were soon wedOwnership of Harriet was transferred over to

Dr. EmersonThey later had two daughters, Eliza and Lizzie

Love for Dred

http://shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians/name/s/scotth/index.html

Dr. Emerson died in 1843In 1846, Dred attempted to buy the freedom

of he and his family from the doctor’s widowShe refused his offersHe took his case to the Circuit Court

Suing for Freedom

During he and his family’s time with Dr. Emerson, he had taken them to Illinois and the Wisconsin territory

These places both prohibited slaveryDred lived in Missouri at the time that he suedMissouri had a “once free, always free” policyThis policy said that any slave that spent time

in a free state at any point could sue for their freedom and win

His Argument

http://www.securityplanet.com/home-security-systems/illinois/ http://www.securityplanet.com/home-security-systems/

wisconsin

At first, Dred was not able to prove that Dr. Emerson had purchased him

He lost the first trial on a technicality because of this

Technicality

Dred made another attempt at winning his freedom through the Circuit Court

Two sons of Dred’s original owner, Peter Blow, testified that Dred had been bought by Dr. Emerson

Case was technically over in 1850In 1852, case was moved to Missouri Supreme

CourtDred and his family were technically free until

case in 1852

Another Attempt

http://blogs.dickinson.edu/hist-288pinsker/2012/02/13/dred-and-harriet-scott/

Case began in 1852Reversed the Circuit Court’s decision, making

Dred and his family slaves yet againDred brought the case before the U.S.

Supreme CourtHe hoped they would reverse the Missouri

Supreme Court’s decision

Missouri Supreme Court

Seven of nine justices had been appointed by pro-slavery presidents of Southern origin

Five were from slave-holding familiesAt first, it seemed likely that the Supreme

Court would simply throw the case outA previous case had given states the right to

treat their citizens as they see fitDred argued that he and Sandford were from

different statesCase was accepted

Supreme Court Prejudice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court_Building

Mrs. Emerson’s attorneys argued that slaves could only be set free with consent of their master

Mrs. Emerson’s attorneys also questioned constitutionality of Missouri Compromise

Dred continued to use the “only free, always free” policy and use the sons of his original owner as witnesses

Tactics

Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the court’s majority opinion

The ruling specified that:Dred was not a U.S. citizenDred had no right to sue in a federal courtNo black could ever be a U.S. citizenNo black could “have rights that the white man were

bound to respect”The Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and

had to done away with

Supreme Court Ruling

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Chief Justice Taney claimed that the Missouri Compromise broke the Fifth Amendment by taking away property without due process of law

Said that all blacks were property, so they could not be U.S. citizens or have rights

The Court’s Justification for the Ruling

Mrs. Emerson’s new abolitionist husband, Dr. Calvin Chaffee, transferred Dred and his family ownership to Taylor Blow

Taylor Blow set Dred and his family freeDred worked as a porter at Barnum’s Hotel, and

died a year later, in 1858Lizzie, Dred’s daughter, got marriedHarriet lived with Lizzie and her husband until her

death in 1876

Dred and His Family’s Life After the Case

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/community/tags/sectionalism

Contentment in South, because slavery was virtually secure

Outrage in North and WestAbolitionists were enraged and insulted the

Supreme CourtWesterners feared the spread of slavery would

disrupt their economic systemTension between pro-slavery advocates and

abolitionists dramatically increasedTo this day, the ruling is known as one of the most

controversial rulings in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court

Social Effects of Scott v. Sandford

Due to the Supreme Court’s ruling, Congress could no longer prevent slavery from spreading or remove it from places it had already been establishedThis put an end to peaceful means of ending

slaveryThe only option was violence

South Carolina succeeded in 1860, and the battle at Fort Sumter officially started the war that would end slavery

Decision of Dred Scott v. Sandford essentially made the Civil War inevitable

Civil War

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32a. The Dred Scott Decision. n.d. http://www.ushistory.org/us/32a.asp (accessed November 21, 2014).

Dred Scott. n.d. http://shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians/name/s/scottd/ (accessed November 21, 2014).

Dred Scott's Fight for Freedom 1846-1857. n.d. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2932.html (accessed November 21, 2014).

Kermit L. Hall, James W. Ely Jr. "Scott v. Sandford." In The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions, by James W. Ely Jr. Kermit L. Hall. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Missouri's Dred Scott Case, 1846-1857. n.d. https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/africanamerican/scott/scott.asp (accessed November 21, 2014).

References