Dred Scott Decision Research Paper

The Dred Scott vs. Sanford Supreme Court case has gone down in history as one of the most notorious cases and recognized as driving the country closer to civil war. The case became controversial in 1833, because Dr. John Emerson, purchased Dred Scott, and moved to the Wisconsin Territory. From the Missouri Compromise, slavery was banned in the Wisconsin Territory, therefore, making Scott a free man, right? After living there for a number of years Emerson moved to St. Louis and died in 1843 leaving Eliza Irene Sanford, Emerson’s wife, the owner of Scott and his family. When Scott asked for freedom, Stanford declined which lead to Scott suing the state court, where he won and was acknowledged as a free man.

Dred Scott v. Sandford was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on US labor law and constitutional law. The case was decided in 1857 with a 7–2 decision. Scholars today believe it is one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time. Dred Scott was born a slave in Virginia in the 1790’s. In 1830, he was bought by Dr. John Emerson.

In 1857 the court case of Dread Scott v. Stanford and in 1896 the case Plessy v. Ferguson were introduced into the Supreme Court. They showed people of color were not considered to be anything other than property; the whole majority had no regard for the feelings of another person. The notion of slavery was just coming to light in the United States. As time grew on, the slaves and former slaves were rightly becoming increasingly outraged. Through evaluating language of exclusion throughout both Dread Scott v. Stanford and Plessy v. Ferguson concurrently, anyone can recognize the effects of dehumanization negatively impacting members of the black community.

The Dred Scott Decision & History Dred Scott was a African American born in 1795 (1800) to a slave family, in Southampton County, Virginia. Dred Scott was owned by Peter Blow and his family who later moved to Alabama then to Missouri. In the year 1832 Peter passed away Scott was then bought by an army surgeon Dr. John Emerson. In 1836 Scott fell in love with Harriet Robinson, Dr. Emerson bought her and they soon were wed. Soon after Emerson took both slaves and his family with him to the states of Illinois and Wisconsin both of which were free states at the time. John Emerson most likely didn't see this to be an issue since he did not consider himself to live in the state, only to be stationed there.

The North and South were already divided prior to the surge of exploration and conquering known as Manifest Destiny, which was largely fueled by new inventions, such as trains and the telegraph. The North had an economy quite contrary to that of the South. The North was industrializing, and the industry was quickly booming, producing many goods and boosting the North’s’ economy. The South, on the other hand, depended on its constant, slow, agricultural growth. This divide was dwarfed by the main problem that was always a challenge for the United States to deal with.

Civil Rights Helps Americans The 13th and 14th amendments abolished, "Slavery and declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens of the United States". Supreme Court had make many important decisions have impact civil rights. Those decisions had change the laws and rights of people. Therefore, many decisions Supreme Court made have impact in civil rights: the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Loving v. Virginia.

Problems emerging from slavery's western development caused issues for the U.S. from the beginning. Fights arose over the westward expansion of slavery and over the position of the government in securing the attention of slave owners. Northern and Southern states started to oppose on the duties of the government in seizing and delivering runaway slaves back to their owners. Slaves remained essential to the country's economy, powering the south's plantation economy as well as giving crude materials to the Northern industrial economy. As the nation pushed westward in its quest for new land, people started wondering whether those grounds should be slave-states or free.

A. Dr. Eric Foner calls Reconstruction “America’s unfinished revolution.” Was it? Defend your response. This essay will examine why Dr. Eric calls Reconstruction “America’s unfinished revolution.”

In the 1950s America found itself facing the deep-rooted issue of racism, specifically toward African –Americans. Slaves were freed and people were declared equal, equality was not always prevalent. Segregation remained in much of the country. This meant people groups such as blacks had were forcefully separated from whites in schools, transportation, hospitals, and more. Particularly in the South, segregation had a strong hold on society. This began to change as supreme courts re-evaluated segregation laws, especially in schools.

In America, there was an inequality issue between African Americans and Caucasians. As a result, one change for African Americans includes Supreme Court rulings that addressed the issue of segregation. The other changes include public support with movements and political response by the President and Congress. When problems were arising in the South with African Americans, the action of the Supreme Court, advocates, and government were necessary in order to achieve civil rights and equality. The Supreme Court’s decision on the Plessy v. Ferguson case and the Brown v. Board of Education case affected American in different ways.

In 1846, Dred Scott sued a Missouri court for his and his family’s freedom. This was the year in which the fight for freedom for Dred Scott started. His initial suit took hold in a local St. Louis district court. He lost the first suit but won his second trial. Although he won the second trial, the decision was set aside by the Missouri State Supreme Court.